What A Team Will We Make
by sissycus
Summary: Mystogan is about to be crowned as a king of Edolas but just then Faust is set free. A reactivation of Anima brings Laxus Dreyar to Edolas. Will Mystogan and Laxus ignore the past and their differences? Can they work as a team to defeat Faust?
1. Chapter 1

**I'm sorry for**** the grammar mistakes! **

**Disclaimer: Fairy Tail is not mine.**

**This story takes place after the events in Edolas. **

**Please enjoy yourself!**

The story starts in Edolas world…

Chapter 1. The night before Jellal's coronation

"Oh, is this dance endless?" king Jellal thought desperately.

Three weeks were passed since he had returned to his birth world. At the moment there was a ball in his palace.

Being the new king of Edolas, the illusion mage was under an obligation to be there. The celebration was in his honour, after all. The entire Edolas Fairy Tail guild was invited (except for the Edolas Raijinshuu team members who were out of the Royal City). The guild members would participate in the ceremony of his coronation that would take place the next day.

Obviously the guests were feeling themselves comfortably. The hall was trembling due to their laughter and loud voice conversations. Unlike them, Jellal didn't like the situation. He didn't used to be seen by so many people and felt himself too uncomfortably under these glances fixed on him. And worse, he had been dancing for three hours already without a break even for a minute. He was so tired that he couldn't stand firm on his feet. The truth was that his only wish at the moment was to lock himself within his room and to be alone but it was impossible.

"It is my duty to be here… It's a part of my obligations as a king," he reminded to himself. And yet he couldn't stop himself from sighing. "It was much easier when I was Mystogan… I prefer to fight against the entire Phantom Lord guild instead of that endless dancing. It's a torture."

Jellal got lost in his memories for a few seconds. He remembered the years spent in Earth Land.

"Who knows what Wendy is doing now…" he thought. The memory about the Sky Dragon Slayer made him sigh again.

Just then a female voice brought him back to the reality.

"Is everything okay, your majesty?" the lady he danced with asked.

He wasn't officially crowned yet but everyone called him with his new title already.

"Of course it's okay, madam," he answered her, making an effort his voice to sound calm.

The lady gave a bright smile to him. He forced himself to answer her with the same but he couldn't. His smile faded before it appeared on his lips.

Jellal cast a glance at the corner where Erza Knightwalker was sitting. She was not alone. There were many ladies around her but he recognized her long red hair immediately. It seemed that she wasn't in a good mood; she was holding a sword in her hand and her expression was extremely angry. If he had to dance, he preferred to be with her but that was impossible because she didn't even look at him. She was casting murderous glances at the Fairy Tail members.

The illusion mage sighed. Obviously Erza wasn't interested at him. Well, he wasn't surprised because everyone knew that she didn't like the new king. Of course, she spoke with him with the required respect but behind her polite words he could feel her hostility to him. Each time their glances met, he saw a flash of anger in her eyes.

"I wonder if she doesn't regret for the time when my father was a king…" he thought.

And the worst thing was that there was no way for him to confess his love for her.

-ooo-

Erza Knightwalker felt that she couldn't stand that situation anymore. She left the hall and stopped for a second in the dark corridor. Taking a deep breath, she tried to calm down but just then a hateful voice reached her ears.

"Please dance with me, Juvia! Please!" It was definitely Gray Surge's voice.

"Take some of your clothes off and then ask me again!" Juvia's voice answered.

Erza gnashed her teeth. She felt an overmastering desire to rush back into the hall and to cut these people on pieces. It took her a supreme effort to suppress that impulse.

The new king was really going too far. To invite these Fairy Tail trashes in the palace… Even the thought about that was making her blood boil in anger. She had never thought that such thing could happen.

Erza just couldn't become reconciled with that. She was called the Fairy Hunter with a good reason.

And Jellal wasn't even crowned yet! What would happen when he took the entire power in his hands?

The red-haired woman started walking across the corridor nervously. Her rage was choking her. Unfortunately, she there was nothing she could do.

Unless…

She stopped short as if she had crushed into a wall. Yes, there was something that she could do… Her plan was attended with serious risks, of course, but she wasn't afraid.

The moment was prefect, Jellal and almost all people in the palace were in the big hall. She should act right now. There was no much time for hesitations.

When Erza took her decision, she left the dark corridor noiselessly.

-ooo-

Being a captain of the royal army, Erza knew very well where the former king was locked.

Two guards were standing in front of the door.

"Open the door, I want to speak with the prisoner," she demanded.

They drew aside respectfully to make way for her. A few seconds later she was standing in front of the former king. Noticing her, Faust stood on his feet. His eyes sparkled but he didn't say anything.

"Your majesty…" the woman pronounced.

"Your majesty, you say? Have you forgotten that I don't have this title anymore, Erza? Or maybe you are making fun of me? Is this why you are here?" Faust asked with a bitter irony.

"Nothing like that, my lord… I have no intention to make fun of you. On the contrary, I have come here to help you. Maybe…" She made a pause. "Maybe very soon you will have right to wear this title officially again…"

"What do you mean?" her interlocutor asked directly. Obviously he wasn't in a mood for hints.

She looked him in the eyes and he met her glance calmly.

"Your majesty, do you want to be free?"

A cruel smile appeared on Faust's lips.

"That's not enough… To be free is not enough to regain my throne. I need to gather some magical power in order to defeat the one who is not worthy to be called a son of mine. And there are only two ways to obtain this magical power. The first one is Anima… And the second one…"

**What do you think about the first chapter? Mystogan and Laxus Dreyar will be the main characters but I intend to include also a Mystogan/Erza Knightwalker romance in the plot.**

**Please let me know your opinion, should I continue writing this story or not. **

**Review please! Please!**


	2. Chapter 2

**I would like to thank for the reviews! I really appreciate them.**

**To answer your question, Beta5200: Yes, Erza will come back to Mystogan's side at the end of the story. I still don't have a clear idea how this will happen but I will think it up somehow…**

**Please enjoy!**

Chapter 2. Beyond all expectations

_At the same time in Earth Land…_

It was passing 11 p.m. o'clock but no one at the Fairy Tail guild was thinking to sleep. People in the near houses also couldn't sleep because Natsu and Gray were arguing and the noise from their quarrel could be heard to the other end of the street.

"Who knows where they are now! I knew that I should go with them!" the fire mage shouted. "It was you who was against that idea!"

"You can't treat them like children forever, Natsu!" the ice mage objected him.

That conversation referred to Wendy and Charle who were on a mission. They were supposed to return already but were still absent.

"Wendy is still a child!" the irritated Natsu yelled.

"It's time for her to grow up, don't you think? She is a Dragon Slayer, after all!" Gray answered.

"Yes, but… Her Dragon Slayer magic is intended mainly to heal wounds! It's not an offensive magic!"

"Her Sky Dragon's Roar is an offensive magic!" Gray reminded him. "Don't forget that!"

"Calm down both of you!" Lucy tried to stand between them.

Mirajane didn't listen to the arguing boys. Standing next to the window, she stared at the empty street. Dark clouds were hanging over the city of Magnolia. As it seemed, a storm was coming.

"It's going to rain very soon…" she whispered.

"Maybe Juvia is coming back?" Happy tried to joke. The rain sorceress was on a mission with Gajeel at the moment.

Just one glance from Mira was enough to make him stop talking.

"It's not time for such jokes, Happy," she said. Her tone was soft as always and yet the flying cat felt her reproach. "You know that Juvia and Gajeel won't return earlier than tomorrow evening!"

She turned her face towards the window again.

Seeing Mirajane's thoughtful expression, Fried Justine got close to her and put his hand on her shoulder. It hurt his heart to see his beloved sad.

"You are worried about Wendy and Charle, aren't you, Mira?" he whispered in her ear.

She nodded.

"Don't worry, I will search for them," Fried continued. "So please calm down."

Although these words were said under his breath, Natsu heard them and turned to look the rune user in the face.

"Then I'm coming with you!" he declared. His fire aura erupted and enveloped his body. "Let's search for Wendy!"

"Aye, sir!" Happy exclaimed, flying above Natsu's head. To tell the truth, the blue cat was thinking more for Charle than for Wendy.

"Wait, wait! We are coming too! Where Fried is, there we are too!" Bixlow and Evergreen yelled in one voice. No one of the other guild mates was surprised to hear these words because everyone knew how attached they were to their captain.

The green-haired mage looked at his team mates and smiled. "I know that you would go with me anywhere without hesitation but please wait for me here. Me and Natsu will return soon," he said to them.

Mirajane nodded and gave a smile to Fried. "Please be careful and turn back as fast as you can," she said.

-ooo-

Mirajane's fears were just.

Wendy and her cat partner were coming back to Magnolia; more preciously, Charle was flying, carrying the girl in her arms. They were still far away from the city; now they were in a middle of the empty field.

The situation was extremely dangerous for them. A storm was coming, there was no doubt about it, and being in the field, they had nowhere to hide. There was nothing around except for stones and grass.

The severe wind forced Charle to land. Wendy stepped on the ground.

"What is wrong, Charle?" the girl asked in a worried tone.

"I'm afraid that it is impossible for me to fly anymore because of the wind," the white cat explained.

The Sky Dragon Slayer sighed. "Then we must walk," she said.

But they soon found that walking was not much easier that flying. They had to struggle against the wind. Besides, both of them were already exhausted to the point of fainting. Every step forward was a torture for them.

Meanwhile the storm was getting closer. It still wasn't raining but the rain won't late. Wendy was sure about it because she could feel the atmosphere currents.

"What should we do now?" the girl asked, looking at the dark clouds which promised nothing good. The wind dispersed her long blue hair. "What do you think?"

"We have no choice but to walk ahead," Charle answered. "We have no time to lose, you know. The other guild members are wondering where we are for sure. Let's go! We are getting closer and closer to Magnolia with every step. Let's hope that the storm won't continue for a long time!"

"You are right," Wendy agreed. She wasn't finish her words when it started raining, or more preciously it started pouring with rain.

The Sky Dragon Slayer shivered every time she heard a thunder. She felt a sudden weakness in her feet and fell to her knees. Charle helped her to rise on her feet immediately.

"Thank you, Charle," Wendy said. An unusual thought crossed her mind. "Oh, only if Jellal was still here… If he was with me now, I wouldn't be afraid of anything!" she said to herself and sighed.

Of course, she knew that the man she wanted to see was in his birth world. She would probably never meet him again and that was making her sad. "I wonder what is going on with him now… Who knows what he is doing at the moment."

Wendy didn't know that Jellal was thinking about her at the same minute.

Just then Charle gave out a desperate scream and that brought her back to the reality.

Startled by the shriek, Wendy raised her head… and she saw a blinding lightning bolt which cut through the sky above her head. The radiance blinded her but she had no time even to cover her eyes with her hands. For a part of the second – because everything happened much faster that it can be described – Wendy realized that she was the target of the lightning bolt. Yes, it was falling towards her with the speed of a thought. There was no way for her to dodge it.

Frozen in shock, Wendy couldn't even scream.

"What to do now?" It was the last thought that crossed her mind. Alas, it was a question without an answer; she couldn't do anything to save herself. The deadly electrical shine enveloped her.

But what happened at the next moment was beyond all her expectations.

The unbearable bright gleam that was hurting her eyes faded in an instant. Instead of being stroked by the lightning bolt, the girl felt that someone folded her in his arms.

At the first moment she refused to believe her senses.

"What is going on? Am I dreaming?" Wendy thought. "A man here, in the middle of the empty field? That's just not possible!"

Maybe that was some kind of a dream? But no, the hands which were wrapped around her body were absolutely real.

Wendy didn't understand what was going on. Just a second ago she was about to be stroked by a lightning and now she was hugged by a man! What kind of magic was that? It was definitely some magic, it couldn't be anything else.

The man who held her in his embrace was so much taller than her that she had to raise her head to look him in the face. She couldn't see his features clearly but she noticed a pair of headphones attached to his ears. His smell was absolutely unfamiliar to her. She had never met him before, she was sure about it.

"W-W-Who are…" the scared girl stammered. Before she could finish her question, another lightning bolt cut the sky above them. Without thinking, she screamed and instinctively cuddled against the man, searching for protection. If she had looked at him, she would have seen how the lightning directed just towards him… and how he swallowed it.

Unable to move and speak, Charle was watching that scene. She was totally amazed.

A few seconds later the girl dared raise her head. She wasn't afraid anymore. Strangely, she was feeling with her sixth sense that the man had no intention to harm her.

"Please let me ask you about your name, sir," Wendy said.

Her question remained without an answer. His fingers tightened around her wrist and she bit her lips to suppress the cry with pain. Obviously he did that unconsciously because he didn't watch her; his glance was directed aside from her.

"What is wrong with him? Did I provoke his anger?" the girl thought. "But I just asked him about his name! Is this so bad?"

Looking at him more cautiously, she noticed that in fact he didn't look angry. No, it was something else… His expression was filled with some kind of sadness. But what was the reason for it?

He fixed his eyes at a Fairy Tail sign on her shoulder.

"Are you two Fairy Tail members?" he asked. The question was absolutely unnecessary because the answer was obvious. Laxus (it was he, of course) asked it with only one purpose – to change the subject of the conversation. He had no wish to tell her his name.

"Indeed we are. I'm Wendy and this is Charle," the girl said. "We must return at the guild as soon as possible, I'm sure that Mirajane-san and the other guild members are worried about us…"

"And they have a good reason to be worried," he cut her words off. "Don't you see that it's dangerous for you to be here, girl?" Without waiting to hear her answer, he carried her and Charle in his arms without any effort. "I will bring you to Magnolia," he said curtly.

His tone was impatient of opposition but the Sky Dragon Slayer and the white cat didn't think to protest.

"Thank you, sir, but… how should I call you?" they asked in one voice.

There was no answer. Laxus covered them with his coat to shield them from the rain and headed forward to Magnolia.

He had no idea what was about to happen to him just fifteen minutes later.

**I hope that this chapter isn't boring for you. ****I decided to write it in order to explain what Laxus is doing before being sent to Edolas which will happen in the next chapter. Please let me know your opinion for chapter 2 (maybe Laxus frightened Wendy but I couldn't think up more spectacular appearing for him…)**

**Review ple****ase, please, please!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks for the**** review!**

**Here is the next chapter. ****Please** **enjoy!**

Chapter 3. Anima is activated again

_Meanwhile (in Edolas)…_

Erza Knightwalker and Faust went out of the prison, leaving behind the unconscious guards.

"You should go back to the ball now, Erza," the man said, looking at her. "Nobody must know that you helped me… Go and don't lose Jellal from your sight! Did you understand? Meanwhile I will try to activate Anima again. If I don't succeed for some reason… Well, I have another plan of action."

"As you wish, your majesty," Erza answered. "I won't lose Jellal from my sight. You can count on me."

"Be patient, that's the most important thing. We will deal with him at the right moment," Faust added.

-ooo-

Just when Faust pronounced these words, the dance that seemed to be endless for Jellal came to its end finally. When the music stopped, he smiled.

"Thank goodness!" the blue-haired man said in his mind. As the court etiquette required, he made a deep bow before the lady and turned his steps towards his throne. Sitting on it, he closed his eyes for a second. Luckily, this time no one of the ladies asked him for a dance. He decided that it was a perfect chance for him to get out of the hall for a while.

Jellal stood up noiselessly and get out without anyone sees him. Approaching his room, he quickened his pace. When he finally entered his room and closed the door, he gave a sigh of relief and ran his fingers through his hair.

At last he was alone. At last he had some time to collect his thoughts.

He knew that from now on he should think only about his world but that was just impossible for him. Edolas was his birth world and his kingdom; he loved it, but he loved also Earth Land. He had spent so many years there, trying to protect it from his father's evil planes… He missed the missions, Wendy, and even the other Fairy Tail members.

"Who knows what is going on with them now," he said to himself. "Oh, only if I could see someone from Earth Land…"

The man opened the wardrobe and fixed his eyes at the Mystogan's costume. Despite not being a Fairy Tail member anymore, he had kept it. He passed his hand over the cloak and sighed.

Closing the wardrobe, he sat on the nearest chair and closed his eyes. He knew that he didn't have much time (he had to go back to the hall soon) but it was so pleasant for him to be alone.

How much time did he stay like that? It was impossible for him to say.

An unexpected feeling tore him away from his memories. It seemed to him that he felt a great amount of magical energy.

The blue-haired man jumped on his feet. "Anima!" That was the first thought that crossed his mind. But no, there was no way… The machine that produced Anima didn't work and it was in a locked room. He was sure about it because he had locked the door with his own hands. No one was allowed to enter that room. Who could have dared to ignore the king's order?

Then what could be the origin of this magical energy? Jellal opened the door of his room and looked outside; a pale light was illuminating the dark corridor. It was coming just from the forbidden room.

"It can't be! What is going on?" he thought and ran to that direction.

-ooo-

Laxus Dreyar stopped short. It was raining harder, the severe wind was making difficult for him to walk but it wasn't that what troubled him. He was feeling an enormous magical power. It was increasing with every passing second. The feeling was almost physical.

"What is it now?" he wondered.

He looked at the girl in his arms. Wendy and Charle were so tired that they had fallen asleep. Laxus kneeled and gently laid them on the ground, still covered with his coat. Then he rose on his feet and cast a glance around. The rain water was streaming down his face, making difficult for him to see.

He was ready to fight if necessary but there was nobody around. Then what was the origin of the magical power that he was feeling?

Meanwhile the wind was getting stronger and stronger. It seemed to Laxus that the clouds formed a giant tunnel that was emitting the magical energy.

"What on earth is going on?" he thought. At the same moment a bright radiance erupted from the tunnel and enveloped him.

-ooo-

Jellal was running as fast as he could. Approaching the forbidden room, he noticed that the light was getting brighter and brighter. The door was opened.

Entering inside, the illusion mage saw just what he was afraid of. The machine was working; it was emitting the magical power that he had felt.

Except for him, there was nobody in the room. The person who had activated Anima had obviously heard Jellal's steps and had gone.

Who could have entered the forbidden room? Well, it wasn't so important for the present.

"I will manage to find him later," Jellal said to himself. "Whoever it is, he will regret for breaking my orders. The most important thing now is to deactivate Anima immediately or…"

He wasn't finished his thought when he heard a sound of approaching steps and a well-known male voice that was calling him.

"Your majesty! Your majesty, where are you? Your guests are waiting for you! They sent me to search for you…" the voice said and at the same moment Edolas Laxus (1) entered the room.

"Don't get closer!" the blue-haired man yelled but it was too late. Before he could finish his words, a bright radiance erupted and enveloped both of them.

Jellal covered his eyes with his hand. He clenched his teeth, gathered all his will and forced himself to concentrate. It took him a supreme effort to suppress the Anima's power. The radiance faded bit by bit and the magical energy went out.

The illusion mage raised his head… and at the first moment he didn't believe his eyes.

Despite being suppressed almost immediately after its activation, Anima had managed to cause havoc. There was no doubt about it. The living evidence was standing in front of him.

Laxus Dreyar – yes, Laxus from Earth Land and none other – stared at him and his eyes sparkled with anger. Jellal remembered that glance very well. It promised nothing good.

Speechless, the king just watched the lightning mage.

A few minutes ago, when Jellal had wished to see someone from Earth Land, he had had no idea that his wish would be fulfilled so soon. And he definitely hadn't had _Laxus_ _Dreyar_ in his mind.

-ooo-

(1) In this story, EdoLaxus is a member of the Edolas Fairy Tail guild. That is why he is in the palace along with his guild mates.

**I will be very grateful if you send me a review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Thanks for the reviews!**

**To narutofan1091: Two Laxus guys won't meet each other because Laxus Dreyar is in Edolas now and his counterpart has been sent to Earth Land. As for the main difference between them, I have already thought it up. You will see what it is...**

**To Beta5200: I am also not a fan of Faust but I couldn't think up another villain for this story.**

**To Kiren: You are right that Mystogan is to be pitied but it won't be easy for Laxus too… You will see…**

**Please enjoy!**

Chapter 4. A dance and a serious problem

"Oh, no! What is going on?" Jellal thought and swallowed with difficulty. "Why is Laxus here? Goodness! It seems that…"

A sharp yell interrupted his thoughts.

"What the hell is going on? Where am I?"

Laxus's blood was boiling with anger. Just a second ago he was in the field and suddenly he found himself in a room! How was that possible? What kind of magic was that? He recognized Mystogan immediately. What had that idiotic guy done? Maybe it was some kind of a game?

"I'm afraid that you are in Edolas world," the illusion mage answered.

"What? Edolas?" the blonde mage shouted. He didn't believe his ears. That was just not possible! "Why am I here? Answer me, who brought me here? No, don't tell me, and let me guess… It was you, right? In what manner should I kill you?"

"Listen to me…"

But Laxus's fury didn't let him hear anything. He felt an overmastering desire to tear that masked trash to pieces, to turn him to dust… He concentrated and cast his Raging Bolt attack.

And… nothing happened.

"What the hell…?" the thunder mage exclaimed. It was the first time when his magic refused to obey his will.

"Calm down and listen to me," Jellal said. "In this world…"

But Laxus didn't listen to him. "What is going on with me?" he yelled out in horror. "Why can't I use any magic?"

"That is what I wanted to explain you. There is no magic in this world. Being here, you are denied of any magical power you have."

Jellal decided that it would be better to mention nothing about the X-balls. It wasn't the best idea to give them to Laxus. In his enraged state, who knew what he could do if he could use his magic.

"It is impossible for me to use my magic here?" It seemed to Laxus that his head was about to burst. "Bring me back _immediately_, you idiot!"

"For goodness' sake, don't yell! Someone may hear you and then things will become even worse! For your own good, don't yell!"

Jellal forced himself to concentrate and cast the reverse Anima but the magic didn't obey his will. He tried again and again but all his efforts were fruitless. The minutes passed one after another, and nothing happened.

The lightning mage bit his lips. His patience was on its end. "Well? What are you waiting for? Bring me back or you will regret, I swear!"

"I'm afraid that it is impossible at the moment. Anima has been activated by someone, so now you are here and your Edolas counterpart is in Earth Land…And I can't reverse the magic, I can only suppress it," Jellal explained. "The only way to reverse Anima is to find the one who has activated it," he whispered as if he was speaking to himself.

Laxus's heart stopped beating. He had never thought that such thing could happen to him. That was just ridiculous!

"So someone has activated this machine? And my counterpart… the Edolas me… is in Earth Land now? Did I understand right?" he asked. "Or maybe you are kidding with me?"

"Unfortunately, it is the truth itself," the illusion mage replied.

Laxus couldn't take breath. His rage overcame him again. He wanted to break this damned machine to pieces but he couldn't do it because in that case he would never be able to return to his world. "And what if someone sees him? Who knows what can happen! You must bring me back, you…"

Jellal didn't pay attention to these words; he was thinking over the situation. Except for him, the only one who could use Anima was his insane father… But he was in the prison; there was no doubt about it. It must have been someone else… But who? Who could have been able to activate Anima?

He knitted his brows, thinking what he should do. Maybe he should put an end to the royal ball immediately? No, it would be a mistake.

"If I don't return to the hall soon, everyone will suspect that there is something wrong… And that shouldn't happen! No one must know what is going on. It will be better this accident to remain secret until I gather more information," he said to himself.

When Jellal took that decision, he looked at Laxus again.

"Listen to me, I will find out who is responsible for this situation but for now it will be better nobody to know about this... You must pretend to be your counterpart as long as you are here. The entire Edolas Fairy Tail guild is here at the moment because I invited them to participate in a ball party. So come with me to the big hall and try to act in a natural manner…"

"This is the height of impudence! You started the whole trouble and now you have the cheek to command me?" Laxus said through clenched teeth. "How dare you? Who do you think you are? The king of this world?"

"In fact, I _am_ exactly what you said, the king of this world. I'm about to be crowned tomorrow morning," Jellal replied. "And if you haven't understood yet, what happened is not my fault!"

The blonde man remained silent for a second. He didn't know how to answer.

"There is no way for me to go where Fairy Tail members are! If you have forgotten, let me remind you that I was excommunicated from the guild!" he said finally.

Jellal suppressed his wish to answer: "It served you right!"

"You were excommunicated, you say? In Earth Land, yes, but not in _this_ _world_," he reminded Laxus. "So come with me. I'm sure that no one will notice that you are another person… When the party is over, I will try to find who is responsible for Anima's activation. I will find some way to send you to your world."

That was far too much for Laxus. He put his hands to his head.

"It's a nightmare! It can't be anything else!" he thought. "Oh, I want to wake up immediately!"

But his senses were telling him that it wasn't a dream at all. The golden-haired mage took a deep breath. It seemed that he had no choice.

"Well then, I'm coming with you. But find those who has activated this damned Anima and bring me back or you can't imagine what will happen to you! I will free your people from the necessity to crown you because you won't have a head to place the crown on it!"

"Let's go now or all my guests will suspect that there is something wrong!" Jellal said as if he hadn't heard Laxus's threat. "And by the way, it will be good for you to know one more thing. This world is the opposite of the Earth Land. It means that your counterpart here is as frail as powerful you are. So don't be surprised if they don't show any respect to you."

Laxus sighed heavily and ran his fingers through his hair.

"Is it possible the situation to become worse?" he wondered.

-ooo-

"Of course the situation can become even worse!" Laxus thought a few minutes later. "Oh, why is this happening to me?"

He was sitting in the ball hall along with Edolas Fairy Tail members. It was so strange for him to be with them… He knew that they were different people form his former guild mates and yet it was strange feeling. Luckily, no one of them noticed that he was a different person from the one they knew… at least for now.

Next to him, Jet and Droy were arguing which one of them to dance with Levy but Laxus didn't pay attention to them. Lost in his thoughts, he had almost forgotten where he was. A female voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Laxus, let's dance!" Lucy Ashley took his right hand in her one. Startled by her touch, he raised his head.

"What?" He thought that he hadn't heard right. "I don't dance!" he answered quickly.

"You weakling, how dare you refuse the lady!" Jet and Droy shouted at him in one voice.

"What… _What_ did you say? Did you call me _weakling_?" Laxus was so furious that he couldn't pronounce anything else. His rage was reaching its boiling point. He felt that he was losing his temper but Lucy Ashley hurried up to stand between him and the male part of the Edolas Shadow Gear team.

"It's not time for such jokes, Laxus! Come on, the music is so good!" She grabbed his left hand too and before he could realize what was going on he was already in the middle of the dancing floor.

Predictably, he wasn't very gracious and the other Fairy Tail members burst in laughter watching him.

"What is wrong with you today? You have always been such a good dancer! If my eyes didn't say the opposite, I would swear that this is not you!" Lucy Ashley noticed. "Ah! That hurts! Be more careful!" she added when he trod on her foot.

The laughter around Laxus was becoming stronger and stronger.

The lightning user gnashed his teeth. His face darkened and his eyes sparkled with anger. How did these people dare make fun of him? He felt an overmastering desire to give a good lesson to them… But what could he do when it was impossible for him use his magical power?

"Oh, only if I could use my magic…!" he thought. "I would make them remember when they have made fun of me!"

Sitting on his throne, Jellal was extremely worried but was making efforts to look in a good mood because nobody must know what was going on. He cast a glance around searching for Erza Knightwalker (1). Seeing her, he gave her a sign to come close to him.

"What will you order, my lord?" the red-haired woman asked. There was a trace of smile on her lips but the king didn't know what the reason for it was.

"I want you to see if the former king is still in the prison, captain Knightwalker," Jellal said. "Please hurry up!"

It took a great effort to Erza to hide her sarcastic smile when she heard his order. Faust wasn't in the prison because she had set him free herself but she knew that Jellal shouldn't know this for the present. So she made a deep bow and left the hall.

Jellal turned to look at Laxus; he was afraid that the lightning mage could do something that would give him away. "If someone finds that there is an Earth Land human here, both of us will be in trouble…" the blue-haired man thought.

At the moment Laxus was dancing with Lucy Ashley. Despite the seriousness of the situation Jellal couldn't suppress his smile.

Nearly ten minutes (which looked like centuries to him) passed before Erza Knightwalker finally returned.

"Your majesty, I'm afraid that I have bad news for you…"

"What is it?"

"The former king is disappeared!" Erza whispered in his ear.

The blue-haired man remained silent for a second; he was trying to realize the meaning of the words he had heard.

"He is disappeared?" Jellal repeated. "Are you sure about it?"

"Yes, I'm sure, your majesty."

Jellal bit his lips. His fears turned to reality. So it was his father who had activated Anima again. "Just as I thought… Only my interference has prevented him from fully activating the magic," he said in his mind. "But how could he break out of the prison?"

Jellal closed his eyes, trying to take control of his own self. He reminded himself that his first duty was to protect Edolas. Now he had to find some way to catch Faust. Who knew what this insane man could do if he was free.

"What should I do now?" Jellal thought. "I have no choice but to put an end to the celebration. I have no time to lose."

"Thank you, captain Knightwalker," he said under his breath. "Don't tell anyone about that. Nobody must know that the former king is disappeared."

"Of course, my lord. As you wish." Erza made a deep bow and drew aside.

Jellal rose on his feet and gave a sign that he wanted to speak. The master of ceremonial raised his hand and the music stopped immediately. Everyone in the hall stopped dancing and turned to look at the king.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I thank you for your presence here!" Jellal pronounced with a forced smile on his face. "Unfortunately, it's already late and this forces me to put an end of the ball party. So let me wish you good night, dear guests." He looked at the Earth Land mage and made him a sign to get closer. "Laxus, you stay here, I want to speak with you in private."

At the first moment no one answered him. The guests looked at each other in amazement. They didn't understand what the reason for the king's behaviour was.

"What? But, your majesty, it's still so early! It's barely passing 11 p.m. o'clock! The court etiquette requires…" the master of ceremonial tried to protest but Jellal didn't pay any attention to him. He gave a sign to the guests to withdraw.

Obeying the king's will, everyone left the hall one by one. Their disappointment was more than obvious.

"I will be in my room because I need to get some sleep. I don't want _anyone_ to disturb me earlier than tomorrow morning," Jellal said to the master of ceremonial who left the hall last.

"As you wish, your majesty," he answered.

"Well? Will you explain me what is going on?" Laxus asked when all guests withdraw.

"We have a serious problem," the illusion mage said without introduction. His smile had disappeared and hit tone was strained. "Listen to me carefully."

-ooo-

(1) Erza Knightwalker has returned to the hall while Jellal was speaking with Laxus.

**This chapter is a little long**** (I apologize for this!). I promise that the next one will be shorter.**

**Review please****, please, please! Let me know your opinion!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Thanks for the review****s!**

**To Kiren: Edolas L****axus will appear in the next chapter. And yes, he will meet the ****Earth Land Fairy Tail members. **

**To Burned Down: I suppose that the long chapters may be boring for some readers. That is why I usually try to make chapters not too long. **

**Please enjoy!**

Chapter 5. Teaming up

Hearing Jellal's explanations, Laxus knitted his brows. His expression was so fierce that anyone else except for Jellal would be terrified to see it.

"So this Faust guy is responsible for everything that happened? And I'm here because of him? Are you sure about it?"

"Yes, I'm quite sure. Faust has disappeared and Anima has been activated… It couldn't be just a coincidence." Jellal remained silent for a second, and then continued speaking: "Anyway, I must try to find him as soon as I can because my duty as a king is to protect my birth world. Besides, I must understand what he has done with Anima; that's the only way to bring you back to Earth Land. Please be patient. I will find Faust at every cost. Meanwhile you can stay here, in the palace."

"To stay here? No way! I'm coming with you!" the lightning mage declared with a fierce glance.

To tell the truth, Jellal didn't expect to hear such words.

"What did you say? You want to accompany me?" he asked.

"You don't think that I will stay here when the one who is responsible for the whole trouble is at liberty, do you? I'm coming with you! And woe to this Faust guy when I find him!"

Jellal remained silent, looking at his interlocutor up and down. He was wondering what to answer. Should he respect that wish? On the one hand, it wasn't very reasonably to take Laxus with him in view of their strained relations. One could hardly imagine an odder team than them two. And that wasn't all; Laxus's fiery temper and hasty actions might threaten the success of the mission. But on the other hand, it was understandably why the Earth Land mage wanted to find Faust. His powerful lightning magic would be very helpful in catching the former king.

Jellal knew that it would be too dangerous to go after his father alone. His initial intention had been to take his captains (Sugarboy and Erza Knightwalker) with him. But now, thinking over the situation, he decided that it would be better to be accompanied by only one person. Two people had better chances to remain unnoticed than three ones. And the most important thing was nobody to know about Faust's disappearing because it could frighten Edolas people.

There was one more thing. The blue-haired man was taking a great risk leaving secretly the palace. Being the king of this world, he had no right of personal life; he couldn't do anything without the approval of his royal council, at least to go on dangerous missions. He had to return until the morning at every cost because if someone of the council members noticed his absence, he would be in a serious trouble. With Laxus's help, he could hope to catch Faust and to return before the morning comes.

Of course, Jellal knew that the blonde mage wasn't worried about the Edolas world; he wanted to find Faust only for his personal reasons. But that didn't matter at the moment. The most important thing was the former king to be caught, no matter how and why.

After a few minutes hesitation Jellal took a decision. Thinking about the absurdness of the situation, he couldn't stop himself from smiling.

"Me and Laxus Dreyar… What a team will we make! If someone has told me that I was about to team up with Laxus, I would have thought that this person wasn't in his right mind! What would our former guild mates think if they knew about that? What would they say if they could see us now?" the blue-haired man said in his mind.

"Well then, let it is as you want, Laxus," Jellal pronounced in a loud voice. "Come with me if this is your wish. But before we go, I must give you something."

"What is it?"

"It is something that will let you use your magical power here," Jellal answered briefly because he was in no mood for long explanations. He pulled a glass vial full of X-balls out of his pocket. "Eat one of these pills."

Laxus raised his eyebrows. He didn't say anything but his mistrust was obvious.

"What are you waiting for? Do what I'm telling you! Hurry up and eat it already!" Jellal said. "Maybe you are afraid of a poison? If so, you don't have to worry. Believe me, I have no intention to harm you because I know how broken-hearted master Makarov will be. And the last thing I want is to cause pain to him."

There was no answer.

"How can we work together if you don't believe me?" the illusion mage added after a few seconds silence.

When the golden-haired man – after a minute hesitation – swallowed the X-ball, the king nodded.

"Now we can go, I will be ready in a minute. There is no time to lose. We have only this night to find Faust and to catch him. I must return here before the morning comes or I will be in a trouble."

"But first tell me one thing. Where should we search for this Faust guy?" Laxus asked. "Do you have any idea where he can be?"

Jellal had already thought about that. Anima's activation could mean only one thing. Faust had wanted to obtain some magical power and only Jellal's interference had prevented him from reaching his goal. It was beyond any doubt that after this unsuccessful attempt Faust had decided that it was too dangerous for him to remain in the palace.

And where could he have gone?

Jellal thought that he knew the answer of that question.

Extalia…

The illusion mage knew that the entire Exceed race had been brought to Earth Land when he had activated the reverse Anima. Now the flying cats' kingdom was empty and that was making it a perfect hiding-place for his father. And there was something else and more important. There was a place somewhere inside the queen's palace in Extalia that was connected with Earth Land. Jellal was sure about it because if this place didn't exist, the Exceed queen wouldn't be able to send Exceed eggs to Earth Land a few years ago. So if Faust wanted to gather some magical power, he could use that entrance between the two worlds… How exactly could he use it – Jellal didn't know that but he had an intention to find it out and to prevent his father's planes.

Laxus repeated his question. "Did you hear me? Do you have any idea where should we search for Faust guy?"

"I think I know where he can be," Jellal answered. "Let's go, I will explain you on the way."

**What do you think about this chapter? Please send me a review!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Thanks for the reviews!**

**Please enjoy!**

Chapter 6. Astraphobia

_Meanwhile (in Earth Land)…_

Frozen in shock, Edolas Laxus cast a glance around himself.

"Something must be wrong with my eyes!" he thought.

Just a second ago he was in the royal palace and was speaking with the king. And now he was in a middle of an empty field! Heavy rain lashed against him, and a severe wind dispersed his golden hair.

At the first moment he didn't believe his eyes. That couldn't be true! Was it some kind of hallucination? But no, the water streaming down his body was quite real.

"What on earth is going on? Where am I?" he wondered. "What is this place and where is the royal palace?"

Just then a blinding lightning cut through the sky above him, followed by a thunder. That sight and the sound were unbearable for him. He was sized with uncontrollable fear. His astraphobia (1) overcame him, making him forget everything else. He fell to his knees, gave out a piercing scream and covered his ears with his hands.

Startled by the scream and the thunder, Wendy and Charle jumped on their feet.

At the first moment the girl couldn't orientate herself but she immediately remembered what had happened. Of course, it didn't come to her mind that the man next to her was a different person from the one she had met twenty minutes ago. She hadn't seen Anima's activation because she had been asleep.

Wendy fixed her attention at Edolas Laxus. She didn't understand what was going on. Kneeling next to him, she gently placed her hand on his shoulder.

"What is wrong with you? Please tell me!" she said but he didn't answer her.

"What should I do now?" the girl whispered, looking at Charle pleadingly.

"Do something, Wendy! Cast some of your spells…" the white Exceed said.

"Yes, but… Which one of them? I don't know what is wrong with him!" Wendy said helplessly.

Then it seemed to her that someone called her name from a distance; turning her head, she saw through the rain who human figures running towards her.

"Wendy!" they yelled again and she recognized their voices.

"Natsu-san! Fried-san!" she thought.

"Charle! Thank goodness, you are okay!" Happy exclaimed but at the next moment his smile faded.

"I'm so glad to see you!" Wendy said but the newcomers had already seen the man next to her and their attention was focused on him.

Predictably, Natsu's first impulse was to yell as loud as he could "Laxus, fight with me!" but the words stuck in his throat when he noticed the state that Laxus was in.

Fried's expression was terrified; he kneeled next to the golden-haired man and grabbed his hands.

"Laxus! What is wrong with you? Whatever it is, tell me! For goodness' sake, answer me!" he said all in a breath. His voice was trembling.

There was no answer. The panicked Edolas human didn't pay any attention to Fried's questions. There was not even one logical thought in Edolas Laxus's head; the only thing he knew that he was afraid. He couldn't put two coherent words together. He wanted to be somewhere else… no matter where, just to be far away from that place!

Tears streaming down Laxus's face scared the green-haired mage more than everything else. He has never seen his leader to cry. If Fried hadn't seen those tears with his own eyes, he would never believe that such thing was possible.

Wendy looked at the captain of Raijinshuu with a thoughtful expression on her face.

"Laxus?" she asked. "Is his name Laxus? Do you know him, Fried-san?"

But Fried didn't even hear her question; his entire attention was focused of his (as he thought) team leader. What on earth had happened to him?

Another lightning bolt cut through the sky and Edolas Laxus screamed again.

"If I didn't know him, I would swear with a clear conscience that this man isn't my leader," Fried thought. "What is going on with him? I have never seen him in such state… Oh, what would Bixlow and Evergreen say if they could see him now?"

"Fried-san, did you hear me? Do you know this man?" Wendy asked again.

"Of course we know him, Wendy," Natsu answered. "Laxus was a member of our guild."

"He was?" the girl repeated. She and Charle gave a puzzled look to one another. "So he isn't anymore? Did I understand right? What is the story behind this?"

Fried bit his lips and bowed his head. The fire mage noticed that and guessed what the reason was.

"I will explain you later. It's a long story and now we don't have enough time…" Natsu cast a glance at Fried. He didn't want to tell the story in his presence because it would be better the past to remain past. "Please tell me how you met Laxus, Wendy!"

The Sky Dragon Slayer explained in a few words what had happened. "When I saw him first, his behaviour was totally different from now!" she added.

"That's very strange," Happy muttered. "What should we do now?"

The Fairy Tail mages looked at each other. Although Laxus wasn't a part of the guild anymore, they couldn't leave him in the lurch.

"Maybe we should bring him to Magnolia?" Happy said.

"I have a better idea. Let's bring him to Porlyusica's home," Natsu suggested. "The East Forest is nearer than Magnolia. Besides, she may be able to find out what is wrong with him. She is a healing mage, after all."

"Porlyusica? Who is she?" Wendy asked.

"I don't know how to explain you… Well, she is…" Happy started but Natsu interrupted his words.

"You will see her yourself, Wendy," the fire mage said. "Porlyusica-san is an old friend of our master. She lives in the East Forest."

"Does she live alone?"

"Yes, Porlyusica-san likes being alone. And I must warn you that she wouldn't be happy to see us. She doesn't like humans…"

"She _hates_ humans," Happy corrected him.

"So don't be surprised or scared if she is angry," Natsu continued. "She won't refuse to help us, you will see."

Fried helped Edolas Laxus to rise on his feet.

-ooo-

On the way to Porlyusica's home Natsu explained Wendy what had happened during the Harvest Festival. Of course, he whispered in her ear because he didn't want Fried to hear his words.

Predictably, the girl was just terrified of what she was told.

"So Laxus-san has wanted to…" Her voice broke. She overcame her emotions with an effort and continued: "He has wanted to kill all guild members and citizens?" Even pronouncing of these words was difficult for her.

"That's right," the Fire Dragon Slayer nodded. "But as I told you, he didn't succeed… Master Makarov expelled him despite my protests."

"And Fried-san has helped him, you say? That's impossible! He isn't such kind of person!" Wendy cast a glance at the green-haired mage. She didn't believe that he might have stand against the other guild members. More preciously, she didn't _want_ to believe it. Fried has always been so good to her… The thought that he had tried to kill Cana Alberona and Elfman was unbearable for her.

Charle was silent but her expression was also terrified.

"I know that it's hard for you to believe but that's the truth itself. Not only Fried but also the other members of the Raijinshuu team helped Laxus. This is what happened," the fire mage said.

"That's unbelievable," Charle muttered. "Who could have thought…? If someone else has told me this story, I would never believe him."

Wendy didn't say anything more; she just sighed, staring at the rune user.

It took them nearly twenty minutes to enter the East Forest. When the Fairy Tail mages approached Porlyusica's home, it was getting on for midnight.

"Is this the place where the old lady lives?" Wendy asked.

"That's right. Whatever happens, don't be afraid," Natsu said and knocked on the door.

A second later the door opened with a crash. The pink-haired woman appeared in front of the Fairy Tail mages and looked at them with sparking eyes. They have never seen her so furious.

"You annoying people, what do you want now?" she yelled in rage. "Why don't you leave me alone at least during the night? Get out of here immediately or you will regret, I swear!"

Wendy was warned to expect something like that and yet she was afraid to see the furious woman. The girl cuddled against Natsu's hand.

"Porlyusica-san, I know that it's late! I'm so sorry for troubling you!" Fried answered. "You see, Laxus is not well and we decided…"

"…to bring him here, of course!" she finished his sentence. Her expression became even angrier. "Why am I not surprised? All of you are the same like Makarov! You come here when you want something from me! And now you dare trouble me in the middle of the night because of this hooligan?"

"In fact, it was my idea to bring him here," Natsu confessed. "So it's my fault."

The old woman looked askance at him; it was obvious that she wanted to yell at him but she didn't say anything. She took a step forward and leaned forward to look at Laxus from a near distance.

"That's just a fit of astraphobia," Porlyusica declared.

Fried stared at his in amazement. "_What_? What did you say, Porlyusica-san? _Astraphobia_?" He knew the meaning of the word and that was the last thing he expected to hear. "But that… That's ridiculous!"

"A-Astraphobia? W-What is this?" Wendy dared ask.

"It's an abnormal fear of lightning and thunder," the pink-haired woman explained.

"What?" Natsu and Happy exclaimed in one voice, looking at each other in astonishment. They didn't believe their ears. At the first moment they thought that Porlyusica was kidding with them. Speechless, Wendy and Charle stared at the blonde man.

"Laxus is _afraid_ of lightning and thunder?" The question escaped Natsu's lips.

-ooo-

(1) It is a pathological fear of thunder and lightning.

**In order to make the two Laxus guys opposite of one another, I decided that Edolas Laxus should suffer from astraphobia. Do you like the plot this way?**

**Review please!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Thanks for the reviews!**

**To Beta5200: I really didn't know that Pantherlily suffers from astraphobia. (When I received you review, I searched information about that and I read that he is afraid of thunder indeed). **

**Please enjoy!**

Chapter 7. I don't dare even imagine what can happen

"You are saying that Laxus is afraid of lightning and thunder? _Laxus_? Porlyusica-san, you are kidding with us, right?" Happy asked but he made a mistake saying this. His question enraged Porlyusica even further; she grabbed her broom and aimed a blow at him. The flying cat drew aside with a shriek and hurried up to hide behind Natsu's shoulder.

"Aaaah! Save me, Natsu!" Happy screamed.

"You impudent cat, how dare you say that I'm kidding!" the old woman yelled in anger. "Do I look like someone who is making jokes?"

"Of course not! I-I'm sorry! Please forgive me, madam! I didn't want to say this! I meant that there is no way Laxus to be afraid of lightning!" Happy said all in a breath, still hiding himself behind Natsu.

"Believe it or not, that's the truth itself!" Porlyusica snapped at him.

"Impossible! I would believe it for anyone except for Laxus!" the Fire Dragon Slayer exclaimed.

"I saw how he _swallowed_ a lightning bolt!" Charle said. "I'm telling you, I saw it with my own eyes!"

"How can he fear of something which is the basis of his magic?" Fried was really amazed. He didn't know what to think.

"I don't know but that's the facts," Porlyusica declared categorically. In confirmation of her words, at the same moment a bright lightning bolt cut through the sky and Edolas Laxus gave out a piercing scream.

"Strangely, I didn't feel any magical power inside him…" the woman added thoughtfully.

"Goodness! He _has lost_ his magical power?" Fried whispered in horror and put his hands on his head. "What will Bixlow and Evergreen say when they learn about this?"

"W-What should we do now?" Happy stammered out.

Porlyusica stared at the blonde male. In his state he definitely couldn't explain what had happened to him. It was necessary to wait for him to calm down.

"Leave him here until the fit of astraphobia is over," she suggested. "I suppose that he will be able to think and speak logically then. Meanwhile you go back to Magnolia and inform Makarov what is going on. Tell him to come here."

"I will go but can't Wendy and Charle stay here in the meantime? You see, they are soaking wet and they may catch a cold," Natsu said.

Porlyusica's expression was filled with boredom but she didn't refuse.

"Well, it seems that I can't get rid of you," she said. "Go inside, girl."

"Let's go! We must tell the master what happened!" Natsu said, looking at Happy and Fried.

"Aye, sir!" The blue Exceed answered in his usual manner.

-ooo-

_Half an hour later__ (in Magnolia)…_

Despite the late hour Mirajane was still awake; she was waiting for Fried and Natsu to return together with Wendy and Charle.

"Who knows where they are now," she thought. "I hope that they are coming this way."

Just then the door opened with a crash that shook the guild building to its foundations. Natsu and Fried rushed into the guild hall.

"Boys, what are you doing?" the white-haired beauty asked. "Where are Wendy and Charle? Did you find them?"

"Where is the master?" Natsu and Fried yelled in one voice, ignoring her questions.

Startled by their expressions, Mirajane took a step back. "The master? He is in his room, where he should be at this time? He is probably sleeping…"

"Go and wake him up immediately, Mira!" the captain of the Raijinshuu ordered her. "Please hurry up! There is no time to lose. There is something we must tell him."

"For goodness' sake, will you explain me what is going on? What is so urgent?" The girl was already seriously worried. It wasn't typical for Fried to be so nervous. "If you want to speak with the master, can't you wait until the morning comes?"

"It is something very important! You see, Laxus…"

"Laxus?" Mirajane muttered in bewilderment. She was about to continue with her questions but just then master Makarov entered the hall, followed by the other guild members. The noise had woken them up.

"Laxus? What about him?" Makarov asked.

"Oh, you won't believe it, master! I still can't believe it myself, even thought I saw it with my own eyes!" Natsu and Fried started explaining in one voice.

"Calm down and speak one by one," the master said. "Now tell me what is going on."

"Something has happened to Laxus! He has lost his magical power! And he suffers from astraphobia now!" the green-haired mage said.

"What?" everyone exclaimed.

-ooo-

Nearly thirty minutes later someone knocked on Porlyusica's door.

"It must be Makarov!" the pink-haired woman said and went to open the door. Looking outside, she gasped for breath.

To her horror, there was a crowd of people in front of her door. Fried and Natsu were at the head of the crowd; behind them, Makarov and the other guild members were standing.

"That's a nightmare! It seems that the entire Fairy Tail guild is here!" Porlyusica thought.

It took her a few seconds to get over the shock.

"Why are you here, boys?" she snapped at Fried and Natsu. "You were supposed to tell Makarov to come here, not to accompany him! And what are you doing here?" she yelled at the others. "I don't remember having invited you! How did you dare come here uninvited! That's the height of impudence! You know that I can't stand human presence…"

In other case Fairy Tail mages would probably be frightened of the enraged Porlyusica but now they didn't even listen to her tirade to the end.

"Laxus!" Bixlow and Evergreen exclaimed in one voice and rushed into the room, ignoring Porlyusica's fierce glance. They grabbed the blonde male's hands but at the next moment Bixlow drew back as if a wasp had stung him.

"That's not him! That's not our Laxus!" the soul mage yelled. (1)

"Not him, not him!" his dolls repeated.

That was so unexpected that the other guild members stared at Bixlow for a second, wondering if he was in his right mind.

"What?" Fried asked finally. "That's not him, you say? If so, then who is it? I don't understand anything!"

Edolas Laxus had spent an hour in Porlyusica's home and his nerves had soothed enough to be able to think and speak logically.

"My name is Laxus indeed and I'm a member of the Fairy Tail, the only guild in Edolas," he said.

"Edolas?" the Earth Land mages yelled in one voice. That one and only word was enough for them to understand the reason for Laxus's strange behaviour. "You are an Edolas human? Then what are you doing in Earth Land? Why are you here?"

"I don't know myself. I was in the royal palace and was speaking with king Jellal… And at the next moment I found myself in a different place…"

Hearing Jellal's name, Wendy opened her mouth to ask how he was but Erza Scarlet forestalled her and started speaking first.

"How is this possible? Please tell us everything you know, Laxus! Don't miss any detail!" Titania said.

The blonde man was still frightened and confused but he made an effort and explained what exactly had happened to him.

Hearing his story, Fairy Tail mages stared at him in amazement.

"Now I understand… Obviously Anima had been activated! There is no other explanation!" Erza said thoughtfully.

"I guess what had happened. It seems that you have met _our_ Laxus first, Wendy," the captain of the Raijinshuu said. "Then his Edolas counterpart has been sent to Earth Land…"

"Does it mean that _our_ Laxus is in Edolas now?" Evergreen asked. Her expression was terrified.

"That's impossible because Anima doesn't affect the Dragon Slayers!" Natsu answered.

"On the contrary, it is quite possible. Don't forget that Laxus's Dragon Slayer magic is artificial, Natsu," Erza reminded him. "Being a New Generation Dragon Slayer, he can be affected by Anima. So most probably he has been sent to Edolas."

Everyone looked at each other. There was logic in Erza's words, as always.

"So Laxus is with Mystogan now? That's not good…" Natsu muttered.

"I don't dare even imagine what can happen!" Evergreen's voice broke and she swallowed with difficulty. Feeling a sudden weakness in her feet, she would have fallen to the ground if Bixlow hadn't held her. He helped her to seat herself in the nearest chair and started fanning her with her own fan.

"Laxus and Mystogan are at one and the same place… They can _eat_ each other!" Happy said.

"E-E-Eat each other? Do you think so?" Wendy and Evergreen exclaimed in one voice. Obviously they were both terrified. Of course, the first one of them was worried about Mystogan and the second one was thinking about Laxus.

Makarov didn't say anything but it was obvious that he was concerned too.

"Don't jump to conclusions, Happy," Titania hurried up to say. In fact, she was in the same opinion as the blue cat but she objected him in an attempt to console Wendy and Evergreen. "Things may not go that far. I know that Laxus isn't on good terms with Mystogan but I can't imagine them eating each other. They were both Fairy Tail members, after all."

"In any case, Anima's activation means that something is wrong in Edolas world," Gray said. "Who could have activated that magic?"

"Definitely not Jellal, I'm sure about it," Wendy whispered. "It must have been someone else. But who…? Except for Jellal, the only one who can use Anima is Faust!"

"You are right, Wendy… Most probably Faust is responsible for this situation. Who knows what is going on in Edolas now!" the ice mage added.

"What will we do?" Evergreen asked, looking at her team mates pleadingly. "Maybe our Laxus is in danger!"

"I'm afraid that there is nothing we can do," Fried said under his breath. "We can only wait."

-ooo-

(1) Bixlow is able to see human's soul. That is why he realizes immediately that this man isn't Laxus Dreyar.

**Review please!**

**I will explain**** what is going on with Mystogan and Laxus Dreyar in the next chapter but it will take me about 10 days to finish writing it. I apologize in advance for the late update! I'm sorry for making you wait but I'm really very busy right now and I don't have enough time to write this story.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Thanks for the reviews!**

**I finally finished writing this chapter. Please enjoy!**

Chapter 8. A stab from behind

_At the same time in Edolas…_

Laxus and Jellal had already left the royal palace without anyone (as they thought) sees them. That was possible thanks to the underground tunnel under the palace.

The illusion mage had taken his five magical staves with him but he was still wearing his usual clothes. It would be a waste of time to dress himself in his Mystogan costume. The most important thing for him now was to hurry up. He had to return in time for his coronation. It was getting on for midnight but he hoped that he will manage to go back to his palace before the morning comes.

"I _must_ go back in time! If someone notices my absence, what will I explain to the royal council?" he thought.

Despite being in a hurry, Jellal didn't take the most direct way to Extalia because he was afraid that someone could see them. It was more reasonably to go round the Royal City.

The new-formed team was already near to the Exceed's kingdom. Jellal's Legion was flying towards Extalia, carrying the two former Fairy Tail mages on its back.

"What was that thing you gave me to eat?" the lightning mage asked suddenly.

"It is a special kind of Edolas medicine and it's called X-ball. As I told you, it will allow you to use your magical power here (1)," the king explained.

"And why didn't you give it to me _earlier_? You should…" Laxus couldn't finish his sentence because a great quantity of cold water filled his mouth at the same second. He started coughing and spat the water out. "Ah! You idiot, watch where you direct this bird of yours!" the blonde man yelled when he managed to take his breath. The Legion has just crossed an air river and both mages were soaking wet now.

"What a weird world is this where the rivers flow through the sky!" the irritated Laxus shouted.

"I'm sorry but we have no time to surround the air rivers. You know that we must hurry up," Jellal answered.

"So, _why_ didn't you give that X-ball to me earlier?" Laxus asked again. "Will you explain me?"

Jellal had expected that question but it wasn't the right time for quarrels now. "How should I change the subject of the conversation?" he wondered. Luckily, just then he saw a pale light in front of them.

"That's it!" the illusion mage said and pointed at it. "That's the Exceed queen's palace!"

With their approaching the light increased its intensity. After a minute the palace appeared before them, delineated against the dark sky background. It was sparkling with pale blue light coming from inside it.

"It seems that the entrance between Edolas and Earth Land is opened," Jellal whispered.

"If so, can't I just pass through it and return to my world?" Laxus asked.

The young king shook his head. "I'm afraid that it's impossible. This entrance is created especially for the Exceeds. People can't pass through it alive. If they could, Faust wouldn't use Anima."

The Legion landed and both men jumped on the ground.

"So you are sure that the man who we are searching for is here?" the lightning mage muttered.

"There is no doubt about it."

"Well then, I suppose that the Fairy Law spell is the easiest way to defeat him," Laxus said. Without waiting for Jellal's approval, he concentrated and bright golden light appeared between his hands. He gathered his will and the light increased its intensity. A minute more and the magic would be ready but just then Laxus felt that Jellal grabbed his hand.

"Wait! No! You are making a big mistake! Don't cast Fairy Law right now!" the king hurried up to say. His tone was strained and worried.

The golden shine faded in an instant.

The lightning mage looked angrily at his interlocutor. "What, are you scared? Don't worry, you will remain unharmed. I wanted to kill you with this magic before but my heart refused to harm you and the other guild members…"

"No, you don't understand. It's not that I'm afraid for myself," Jellal explained. "It will be a big mistake to use this magic right now. There is no doubt that the entrance between the two worlds is opened. Using of such a powerful spell as Fairy Law can cause a serious space disturbance! And who knows what will happen then! If you don't care about Edolas, think of _your_ birth world!"

"Then what you suggest to do?"

"We must find some way to get closer to the entrance between the worlds. Let's enter the palace! Come on, we have no time to lose!"

"Stop commanding me or I will…" Laxus growled but Jellal had already entered the palace without waiting to hear his words. Continuing to mutter angrily under his breath, the lightning mage followed him.

If they had been remained outside a minute more, they would have seen another Legion with a human figure on its back that was approaching the palace. The bird landed and the human jumped on the ground.

Erza Knightwalker – it was her – cast a glance at the place where the two men had been standing a minute ago. She had followed Jellal in accordance with Faust's order to not lose him from her sight.

A satisfied smile appeared on her lips.

"Impressive… Jellal isn't as stupid as I thought. Obviously he has guessed right where Faust is," she said to herself. "Anyway, that's better for me. Now I have a prefect chance to deal with him once and forever. He is far away from the Royal City and from his palace; there is no one to help him. Nobody in the Royal City will ever learn what has happened to Jellal."

Of course, Erza knew that the young king wasn't alone. She had seen the man who accompanied him but thinking that he was Edolas Laxus, she wasn't afraid of him. He definitely wasn't a match for her, the captain of the royal army.

"I wonder why Jellal has taken this useless Fairy Tail weakling with him. That's very strange… Well, it isn't so important! I will deal with the king first… and then I will take care for this Fairy Tail trash. The surprise is on my side, after all," the red-haired woman thought and entered the palace.

-ooo-

Inside the palace, Faust noticed the golden light. At the first moment his face darkened but he smiled immediately after that.

"It seems that we have a company," he pronounced loudly, looking at the three human figures that were standing in the darkness behind him.

"And I think I guess who it is," a male voice answered him.

Faust remained silent for a minute, lost in his thoughts.

"Then go and bid him welcome in the proper manner. I can't do this myself because I'm very busy at the moment. I have an important conversation to do," he said finally. A cruel smile appeared on his lips and he continued talking ironically: "And don't forget to show the required respect to our guest. He is the current king of Edolas, after all."

"Not for long," the same voice answered.

-ooo-

Meanwhile, not knowing that Erza Knightwalker was after them, Jellal and Laxus were approaching their goal.

There were many corridors inside the building but they managed to find the right way because they could feel the magical energy that was emitting from the entrance between the worlds. The energy was getting stronger and stronger which meant that they were getting closer to its origin.

Finally they reached a big door with golden ornaments on it. It was closed but the pale blue light was streaming from that direction.

Jellal stopped short.

"Wait a second, Laxus!" he said.

"What is it now? If I remember right, it was you who insisted to hurry up all the time!" Laxus answered without even turn to look at his interlocutor. His entire attention was focused on the door.

"That's right but we still don't have a plan for action. In order to catch Faust, our actions must be co-ordinate. The most important thing for us now is to remain unnoticed for him as long as we can. We don't know if he is alone here; maybe there is someone who helps him. So I suggest… aaaahhhh!"

Before Jellal could finish his sentence, a violent stab in his right arm and shoulder cut his words off. A sword had stabbed him from behind. A sharp pain, more torturing because it was totally unexpected, made his breath stop. A spasm ran through his entire body. He fell to his knees, then to the ground; his hand dropped his magical staves. It took him a great effort to turn his head and to cast a glance behind him.

There, in the middle of the corridor, a red-haired woman with a sword in her hand was standing. Her beautiful face was convulsed in a grimace of ominous triumph.

"Erza!" Jellal thought.

-ooo-

(1) In this story, Jellal can still use his magic thanks to the same X-balls.

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	9. Chapter 9

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Chapter 9. A surprise for Laxus

"Impossible! I'm dreaming! It can't be Erza!" Jellal thought but the sharp pain of his wound was overwhelming evidence that he was completely awake. He made an effort to stand up but he couldn't move.

Startled by Jellal's scream, Laxus turned to look at him and saw Erza Knighwalker. She didn't even look at the blonde man; her entire attention was focused on the young king. She had intended to kill him with a single blow but she had been too nervous; the trembling of her hand had prevented her from stabbing his heart directly. Well, she had managed to do damage to him and now she had a chance to finish him off. Without losing any time, Erza rushed towards Jellal and raised her weapon to deal a death-blow. Frozen in shock, unable to move due to his wound (besides, there was no time for him to react because everything happened within less than two seconds), the illusion mage saw her oncoming as if he was watching a slow-motion movie. A part of his soul refused to believe that what he was seeing was true; he had the strange feeling that he was dreaming. What was his red-haired beloved doing here? Just when that thought flashed across his mind, her sword dropped towards his unprotected heart. Jellal's eyes closed by themselves despite his efforts to keep them open… but contrary to his expectations, he didn't feel any blow. At the same moment he heard Erza's piercing scream. The passed second had been enough for Laxus to pull himself together and to summon a lightning bolt; his magic hit the woman and threw her towards the wall. She fell to the ground, dropped her sword from her hand and remained lying immovably.

The Earth Land human hesitated what to do for a moment. His fingers itched to tear Erza Knightwalker to pieces for hurting the one who should send him back to his world but he suppressed that impulse. It was more important to dress Jellal's injury.

The illusion mage felt that Laxus's hand lifted his head up. He bit his lips to suppress his painful groan. And yet he had to confess that the touch was much gentler than he had expected.

"You are so pathetic! This woman nearly killed you. Well, I'm not surprised," the golden-haired man said in his usual mocking manner but these words were just an attempt to hide his concern. If Jellal had opened his eyes at that moment, he would have noticed that Laxus's expression was filled with anxiety and compassion to him.

Blood was still oozing from the wound, staining the king's clothes. The Earth Land mage stopped the bleeding by dressing the injury.

"Didn't you see… didn't you see that she attacked me from behind?" Jellal answered when he managed to take his breath. "Thank you… thanks for saving me," he added after a few seconds hesitation and opened his eyes.

Laxus's face instantly changed back to its usual scowled expression. "You idiot, what are you imagining?" he asked with an angry grimace. "Do you think that I care about your life? If so, you are deeply wrong. I couldn't let you get killed because you are the only one who can send me back to Earth Land. I don't want to spend my life in this weird world! I didn't save you, I saved myself! So you don't need to thank me."

"Of course," Jellal agreed. He wasn't surprised to hear such words. Every breath hurt him but he clenched his teeth and tried to stand. Laxus helped him to rise on his feet.

At the same moment Erza Knightwalker raised her head with an effort; she didn't understand what was going on. That Fairy Tail weakling had prevented her from finishing her victim! He had used a magic against her! That was quite impossible! Unless…

"Unless this man isn't the Laxus I know! But if it's not he, then who is it?" An unexpected thought crossed her mind. "Is it possible to be… the Earth Land Laxus? Yes, maybe that's the explanation… But what is he doing here?" she wondered. Anyway, she had to deal with Jellal immediately! Erza reached her hand and grabbed her sword. Her fingers tightened around the hilt, she jumped on her feet and rushed to the men with a growl. Her face was convulsed with anger. She had lost her ability to think rationally; she knew only that she wanted to finish the king off.

Laxus prepared to fight with her but Jellal hurried up to stand between them. He parried her blow with one of his staves and drove her back.

"I will take care of her!" the blue-haired man said. "You try to open that door! Faust is most probably behind it!"

"Didn't I tell you to stop commanding me? Don't make me regret for saving you…" Laxus growled but Jellal didn't pay any attention to him; he was watching only Erza Knightwalker. She rushed towards him again and their weapons met.

It would be easier for Jellal if he had used some of his illusions but he couldn't do it at the moment. His magic spells needed some time for their preparation… and right now he definitely hadn't time because the red-haired woman was pouncing at him in blind rage.

"Why are you here, Erza?" Jellal asked, blocking her blows. He was trying to pay no attention to the pain in his right arm and shoulder.

"Don't you guess, my lord?" she pronounced in a mocking tone. "I was told to not lose you from my sight. So when you left your palace, I followed you."

"Who told you to not lose me from…" Jellal asked but his voice broke suddenly. A terrible supposition flashed across his mind. "No, there is no way… She couldn't have something to do with Faust's escape of the prison!"

But when he looked at her again, her expression gave him a confirmation that his supposition was absolutely right.

"Don't tell me you haven't realized yet, my lord… It was me who released Faust from the prison!" the woman declared.

The shock for that statement was so great that Jellal remained stone-still for a second. It wasn't a secret for him that Erza didn't like him but he had never thought that her hostility could assume such proportions. The thought that she had betrayed him was unbearable for him.

Jellal clenched his teeth, making an effort to overcome his emotions. The only woman he loved had turned against him! She had become allied with Faust. That thought made his heart bleeding. If his love wasn't requited, he could endure it; but it was much worse. Erza Knightwalker wasn't just indifferent to him, she _hated_ him…Yes, and he had to face the truth. His beloved definitely hated him. Nothing could harm him more.

"What have I done to provoke her hatred? What?" Jellal wondered. At the next second he got the answer of his silent question.

"I will teach you to invite these Fairy Tail trashes in the palace!" Erza shouted fiercely.

"What? Is that her reason to hate me?" the illusion mage thought. "It can't be… There must be something else! But what is it?"

He had no time to wonder because at the same moment she attacked him again.

It was painful for Jellal to fight against his beloved but he reminded himself that his duty as a king was to protect Edolas. Only after that he could have the right to think about himself.

"I must defeat her at every cost!" he thought.

Meanwhile Laxus pressed the door handle. As he had expected, the door was locked. He was about to break it open with his lightning bolt but before he could summon it, the door opened by itself.

"I count on you to deal with Faust, Laxus!" Jellal yelled.

"But he must deal with us first," a male voice pronounced.

That sound made Laxus creep and he stopped short. That voice was well-known to him and it could belong to one person only.

"That's just my imagination! It can't be he! It can't be Fried!" Laxus thought. Totally amazed, the lightning mage was watching, unable to believe his eyes.

Three human figures had appeared on the door-sill. The blue light that was emitting from the gate between the worlds illuminated them, making possible for Laxus to recognize them.

"No way!" he said in his mind.

There, in front of him, the Edolas Raijinshuu team (1) was standing.

-ooo-

(1) In this story, I decided that the members of the Edolas Raijinshuu team must be Faust's supporters.

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	10. Chapter 10

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**Here is the next chapter. Please enjoy!**

Chapter 10. Where is king Jellal

_At the same time in the Royal City…_

The master of ceremonial was sleeping but sudden loud noise woke him up. It seemed to him that many people were running, talking and even yelling in the corridor.

"What is going on? What is this uproar for?" he wondered.

At the same moment someone knocked on the door.

"Please let me in, sir! There is something I must tell you!" Sugarboy's voice pronounced.

"What does he want?" the master of ceremonial thought. He went to the door and opened it.

"I must speak with king Jellal right now!" Sugarboy declared without any introduction. His expression was extremely worried.

"What? Right now? That's impossible! Do you know what time it is? Besides, his majesty ordered no one to disturb him tonight. As you know, his coronation will take place tomorrow morning and he needs to get some sleep before the ceremony. What is so urgent? Whatever it is, can't it wait until the morning comes?"

"It really can't wait! It is something of a great importance for the entire Edolas world! I have just found that the former king is disappeared! There is no trace of him! Who knows where he is now! And who knows what he can do!"

"What did you say?" The master of ceremonial didn't believe his ears. "Are you sure? But… But how is this possible? He was so well-guarded…"

"I don't know but that's the facts. And that's not all. When I found Faust's absence, I decided to let captain Knightwalker know about that but I couldn't find her anywhere! Her Legion also isn't here! Maybe she has something to do with Faust's disappearing!" Sugarboy added. "As you understand, the situation is very serious. I must inform his majesty immediately!"

Three minutes later they knocked on the door of Jellal's room.

"Your majesty, are you sleeping?" Sugarboy asked in a loud voice. "It's me, captain Sugarboy. Please forgive me for troubling you at this time but I must speak with you right now! Please open the door!"

There was no answer.

"Did you hear me, my lord? Please let me in!" the blonde captain asked again but nobody answered him.

Then Sugarboy dared press the door handle. To his surprise, the door was not locked. Both men entered the room and stopped on the door-sill.

There was nobody inside. The two men gave a puzzle look to one another.

"Where is he? Where is king Jellal?" Sugarboy whispered.

"I don't know!" The master of ceremonial was not less surprised than him. "That's very strange. I really don't understand. He must be here! His majesty told me that he needed to get some sleep… He forbad anyone to disturb him!" He remained silent for a minute and then continued speaking: "Sugarboy, I will tell you what to do now. You and the royal guard must search the entire palace for king Jellal! Hurry up! Don't lose even a minute! When you finish your searching, come and inform me for the result immediately! Did you understand?"

The blonde captain nodded obediently. "As you order, sir," he answered.

-ooo-

_Nearly twenty minutes later…_

"There is no trace of king Jellal!" Sugarboy said. "What will we do now?"

"Are you sure about it?" the master of ceremonial asked after a few seconds silence. "Did you search anywhere?"

"We searched the entire palace. I can swear with a clear conscience that we left no stone unturned! The king certainly isn't here!"

The master of ceremonial bowed his head, thinking over the situation. He was wondering what the reason for that unexplainable disappearing was.

"The king isn't free to own his life. Jellal knows very well that he isn't allowed to do anything without the permission of the royal council," he thought. "To leave secretly the palace in the middle of the night… And right now, in the night before his coronation! That's a serious breaking of the court rules! He definitely knows that it may cost him his throne! Oh, I knew that his behaviour was strange. He put an end of the ball party despite my protests first… And now he is disappeared… Where could he have gone? And more importantly, what had been his reason to do such a thing?"

Sugarboy's voice turned him back to reality.

"What will we do now, sir?" the blonde captain asked. He looked totally confused.

"Well, we don't have many options. I will go to wake the members of the royal council up. It is my duty to inform them that the king is not where he is supposed to be. When we find Jellal, he will have to explain where he has been. If he can't give a good explanation for his behaviour, the council will dethrone him."

"W-W-What?" Sugarboy stammered out. He couldn't believe that his interlocutor was speaking seriously. "Y-You mean… He won't even be crowned? Did I understand right, sir? Does the royal council really have the right to dethrone the king?"

"What is this question of yours? Of course the council has that right. That's why it exists! That's the law!" the master of ceremonial said curtly. "Jellal's behaviour is unacceptable for a king. It will be better for him to have a good excuse for his actions!"

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	11. Chapter 11

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Chapter 11. Faust's big mistake

_Meanwhile (in Extalia)…_

"Something must be wrong with my eyes! They can't be here!" Laxus thought, refusing to believe his senses. He stared at the three people in front of him. Yes, there was no mistake. Fried, Bixlow and Evergreen were watching him with sarcastic smiles on their faces. That were they; there was no doubt about it. Their faces, hairs, clothes, everything was well-known to Laxus.

"Impossible! What are they doing here? Are they on Faust's side?" the lightning mage thought. "Does it mean that…? Is it necessary for me to fight with them? It just can't be!"

Then he heard Jellal's voice. It seemed to him that he was hearing it from a great distance.

"Laxus! That's not _your_ team! Think logically! You know that your team mates aren't here! They just _can't_ be here! These people are their Edolas counterparts!" the illusion mage shouted desperately, trying to block Knightwalker's strong blows. "Laxus, do you hear what I'm saying…"

"Shut the hell up!" Erza's fierce voice cut the king's words off. She pounced at Jellal with doubled rage. "Shut up immediately!"

"Listen to me, Laxus! That's the _Edolas_ Raijinshuu team! Don't hesitate to fight with them! For goodness' sake, pull yourself together! Hurry up and defeat these people! Laxus!" Jellal yelled as loud as he could.

The thunder mage knew all that even without Jellal's reminder. "That's not _my_ team! That's not my team!" he repeated in his mind and yet he couldn't force himself to attack Fried, Bixlow and Evergreen. Even the thought to harm any of them was unbearable for him.

"Why is this happening to me? What should I do? What?" Laxus wondered. Completely lost his ability to speak, unable to command his own body, he was standing immovably, staring at the three people in front of him. He lost the sense of time and every second looked like all eternity to him.

-ooo-

Meanwhile Faust was standing next to the gate between the worlds and was watching it with concentration, completely indifferent to the uproar near to him.

The entrance created by the Exceed queen covered a quite big part of the hall floor. It was oval-shaped; its surface was absolutely smooth and was emitting a pale blue light. At first sight it looked like a mirror; that impression was exalted by the fact that a male face resembling Faust's one could be seen on the surface. But one more careful look would discover that it wasn't a mirror because the other part of the palace hall didn't reflect in it.

The truth was that Faust was using the magical gate to speak with Guran Doma, the chairman of the Magic Council. The other members of the Council could also be seen; they were standing around their leader. Their expressions were filled with curiosity.

Faust has just finished telling (in a few words, of course) how he had lost his crown.

"So you have been dethroned?" the chairman asked.

"That's right. And as I told you, these Fairy Tail members from your world are responsible for that!" the former king said.

"Well, I'm not surprised. Causing trouble to people is what they can do best," the chairman muttered. "But why are you telling us that? This story has nothing to do with us!"

"You are right, it has nothing to do with you," Faust agreed. "And yet I want to offer you a deal. In order to regain my crown, I must defeat the one who is wearing it now. I will be able to do this if I have some magical power… So I ask you to give me the power I need. It will be easy for you. And in exchange I will do you a big favour when I regain my throne."

"A big favour, you say? What do you mean exactly? Please explain me."

Faust took a deep breath. "I will rid you of the magic guild you hate, Fairy Tail, (1)" he answered.

The effect of these words was even greater than he had expected.

"What?" the members of the Magic Council exclaimed in one voice, looking at each other in astonishment. They didn't believe their ears. "You will…"

"Silence!" the chairman ordered them. He looked at Faust, raising his eyebrows. Obviously he hadn't expected to hear such words. "What did you say? You claim that it is possible for you to rid us of all Fairy Tail members, even master Makarov? Did I understand right? I hope that you aren't kidding with us!"

"Of course not. Do I look like someone who is making jokes? I'm speaking seriously," Faust ensured him.

"And how can you do this? Don't you know that Makarov is an extremely powerful mage?" The chairman's mistrust was more than obvious.

A smile formed on Faust's lips. "Please don't ask me about my methods," he said because he didn't want to mention anything about Anima. It would be better the Earth Land people to know nothing about it. "Isn't it enough for you that I'm giving you my true word?" He continued speaking slowly, laying particular stress on every word: "I promise to rid you of the entire Fairy Tail guild, including its master! Within two days all Fairy Tail mages will disappear forever! You will never see any of them again. Even the guild building will disappear without a trace from your world; you can be sure about it!" He made a pause. "Well, what will you answer me? Do you agree to give me some of your magical power? Help me and you won't regret, I promise!"

There was a deep silence for a few seconds. Each one of these seconds looked like a year for Faust. He wanted to repeat his question but he knew that it would be better to wait patiently.

The chairman cast a glance around himself. "What do you think?" he asked the other members of the Magic Council. He didn't dare take decision without their approval. "What should we do? Tell me your opinion!"

The mages looked at each other.

"If this man is really able to erase the entire Fairy Tail guild from the face of the earth, why shouldn't we help him?" a male voice answered without hesitation.

"That's our chance to get rid of Makarov forever! Just think about it, we will never see him again!" another voice added enthusiastically.

"It's too good to be true," a third member of the Council muttered with a nervous smile on his face.

The chairman was still hesitating. He remained silent for a second, and then turned to look at his Edolas counterpart again.

"Very well, if we have your word, let it is as you want," he answered finally. "We will give you the magical power you want."

Faust didn't say anything but he couldn't stop himself from smiling in victory. "Excellent!" he thought.

A bright white stream of magical energy began flowing through the entrance between the parallel words, infusing into Faust's staff.

-ooo-

Each and every word of the dialogue between Faust and the chairman of the Magic Council could be heard in the corridor where the two former S-class Fairy Tail mages were.

The last part of the conversation brought Laxus out of the stupor he was in. Faust's words echoed in his ears: "I promise to rid you of the entire Fairy Tail guild, including its master! Within two days they will disappear forever! You will never see any of them again."

Faust made a big mistake saying these words.

"How is this possible? _This trash dares threaten the old man… and not only him but also all my former guild mates_!" Laxus thought, clenching his hands in fists unconsciously. The blood rushed to his head.

-ooo-

(1) For this story's goal, I decided that Faust must know about the Magic Council's hostility to the Earth Land Fairy Tail guild.

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	12. Chapter 12

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Chapter 12. Within two minutes it will be too late

"How is this possible? _This trash dares threaten the old man… and not only him but also all my former guild mates_!" That thought echoed again and again in Laxus's mind, making him lose his self-control. The most ruthless side of his personality awakened and he forget everything except for his frenetic wish to tear Faust to pieces, to pummel him to death… and even that wouldn't be enough for him.

The blonde man gnashed his teeth. His face became deadly pale and his pupils disappeared. His body reacted by its own accord; he rushed forward with such a ferocious growl that even Erza Knightwalker turned to look at him for a second.

"Laxus! Be careful!" Jellal exclaimed. He had also heard Faust's dialogue with the chairman of the Magic Council and guessed what the reason for Laxus's behaviour was. The blue-haired man wanted to say something more but he couldn't do it because Erza attacked him again.

The thunder mage's expression was so fierce that the terrified members of the Edolas Raijinshuu team took a step back against their will. Their appearance couldn't shield them from Laxus's blind rage; in his berserk state, he wouldn't hesitate to attack them even if they were the Earth Land Fried, Bixlow and Evergreen. Before they could realize what was going on, they were hit by his lightning bolt so hard that they fell to the ground and remained lying immovably.

Without even look at them, Laxus ran past them. His eyes were fixed at Faust; he was seeing the former king perfectly because the blue-white light was illuminating him.

"I will teach you to threaten the old man's life!" the lightning mage yelled out and prepared to cast his Raging Bolt spell. "I will turn you to dust, I swear!"

Unfortunately, just then the white light faded; it meant that Faust had already received the entire magical power that had been sent to him by the chairman of the Magic Council. Until that moment he was watching only the entrance between the worlds but now he lifted up his head and saw the man approaching him. Before Laxus could pronounce the incantation for his Raging Bolt attack, the former king raised his magic-charged staff and hit him with a magical energy stream. The blow was so strong that the blonde man fell to his knees. He clenched his teeth and tried to rise on his feet but another blow threw him down unconscious.

"Oh, no! Laxus!" Jellal yelled. He was concerned in good earnest because he knew from his personal experience that Laxus was an immensely powerful mage and it wasn't so easy to be knocked down. Obviously the magical energy that Faust had received from the chairman of the Council was extremely powerful. It definitely wasn't to be underestimated.

"If something bad happens to Laxus, master Makarov will be crushed with grief!" the young king thought but he couldn't do anything to help the Earth Land mage at the moment.

Erza took advantage of Jellal's distraction and pounced at him again. Her anger was increasing with every passing second.

Faust looked at the brought down blonde man for a second, hesitating what to do. It would be very easy to finish him off but now he had more important work to do. He had to deal with Jellal; that was the only way to regain his throne. All other things could wait.

Faust cast a glance at his son and Erza Knightwalker who has come closer to him. Yes, now his chance has come. He took a few steps forward, taking a good grip of his staff.

"Get out of my way, Erza! You did what you were supposed to do! I will fight with Jellal now!" the former king ordered.

"But, your majesty, I can defeat him! Leave him to me! I will finish him off! I won't disappoint you, you will see," the woman answered. She continued to attack Jellal, trying to do a death-blow to him.

Faust knitted his brows. "Didn't you hear me, Knightwalker? I think I ordered you something! How dare you ignore my command? Who do you think you are? Get out of my way, I said!" he growled. Without any hesitation he aimed a blow at her just as he had done to Laxus a few second ago. With a piercing shriek she was thrown aside.

As in a nightmarish dream Jellal saw how his red-haired beloved fell over the entrance between the two worlds. The smooth surface folded and started absorbing her body immediately. She gave out a desperate cry and tried to get out of there but without success. The blue light that enveloped her increased its intensity.

"Aaaah! Your majesty, help me! Please help me! Don't leave me!" she yelled reaching her hands to Faust but he didn't even vouchsafe to look at her.

That sight made Jellal's heart stop beating for a second.

"Erza!" he screamed in horror. At the next moment his yell stuck in his throat and he remained frozen in shock, unable to believe his eyes. It was too terrible to be real! He knew that within a few minutes Erza would be completely absorbed in the entrance between Edolas and Earth Land. In other words, she would be dead. Only the Exceeds could pass alive through that gate between the worlds because it was created especially for them.

But Jellal couldn't let her die. Yes, she had betrayed him and his kingdom, she had made an attempt to kill him… but despite all this, she was the only woman he loved and that would never change. He couldn't forbid his heart to love her. The thought that he was about to lose her made his blood run cold.

"I must help her! I must draw her out of there before it's too late!" the blue-haired mage said in his mind. He was about to rush towards her but Faust blocked his way.

"What, are you in a hurry to go somewhere, boy? Don't be so hasty! Wait for a second, I want to tell you a few words!" he pronounced with a cruel smile on his face. It was obvious that he was enjoying the situation.

"You!" Jellal exclaimed. He just wasn't able to find words. Whatever he would say, it wouldn't be enough to express all his emotions. "How could you… How could you do this to Erza? Isn't she on your side? How can you treat your helpers this way?"

Faust made a grin. "What are these questions of yours? Why should I care about her? Knightwalker helped me to get out of the prison but now she dared ignore my order… Obviously she doesn't know her place! She is no longer necessary to me. Let me give you an advice, boy… If I were you, I would think for myself instead of worrying about her!" He made a pause. "Finally I can deal with you once and forever! Now it's me against you! Do you think you can defeat me now when I possess magical power sent to me by the chairman of the Magic Council himself? When I regain my throne, I will activate Anima again… and I will have my revenge against these damn Fairy Tail mages from Earth Land! There will be no rescue for them this time… And of course, the Magic Council will be rid of this guild! I will kill two birds with one stone, as the saying goes. What will you say, isn't my plan genius?" He burst in laughter, content with himself.

Jellal made no answer. He practically didn't hear what Faust was telling him. While the former king was speaking, the blue-haired man gathered all his will and forced himself to concentrate; he created many illusion copies of him.

"I hope that his magic will be enough to distract Faust," Jellal thought. He wanted to gather some time in order to cast his Sacred Song magic. He would probably succeed but just then Erza gave out a desperate scream, Jellal instinctively turned his head to look at her and the illusion disappeared due to his distraction. At the same moment the young king had the terrible feeling that a lot of thin cords wrapped around him. And that wasn't his imagination. Hundreds of bright white cords connected with Faust's staff enveloped his body, making impossible for him to move his arms and feet.

Jellal tried to use his air body transformation to get out of that deadly embrace but he couldn't.

"These magical cords don't let me use my own magic power!" he thought and cast a glance at Laxus who was still lying immovably. "What should I do now? Within two minutes it will be too late for me or anyone else to save Erza!"

**I'm not the best in describing battles ****so I apologize if this chapter is boring for you! I hope that you still like the plot!**

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	13. Chapter 13

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Chapter 13. Faust lives his worst nightmare

"What to do now? What? I don't have time, I must save Erza!" Jellal thought in desperation. He had the terrible feeling that he was in a middle of a nightmarish dream and he couldn't wake up.

He struggled desperately to release himself from Faust's magical cords but without success. The only result of his efforts was that the cords tightened around his body. They were choking him and it was becoming more and more difficult for him to breathe. Everything was swimming before his eyes, and he felt weakness in his feet. The situation seemed to be hopeless for him. He realized that he was absolutely helpless. But he wasn't afraid for himself; he was worried about Knightwalker's life.

Another shriek of Erza made Jellal creep and he bit his lips to suppress the scream that was rising in his throat.

Seeing his son's expression, Faust laughed loudly. "I win this time!" he said but he hasted to rejoice his victory.

A furious shout: "Lightning Dragon's Heavenward Halberd!" echoed and at the next moment something shining crossed the hall, passing between the former king and his son. Its speed was so great that Faust couldn't follow it with his eyes, not to speak about taking a good look at it.

Hit by the powerful spell, the white magical cords tore so easily as if they were made of cobweb. They fell apart and disappeared as if they have never been. As for the lightning spell, it stroke one of the walls. A terrifying crash echoed through the hall, the wall turned to dust. Thousands of small glasses of the broken windows powered all over the hall.

The horrified Faust shrieked and covered his eyes with his hand. "What on earth was that?" he thought in shock, cold shivers ran down his back. Turning his head, he saw Laxus.

The thunder mage had managed to rise on his feet and his electrical aura enveloped his body. He was even angrier now (if it was possible at all).

Released from his father's magic, Jellal took a deep breath and rushed towards Erza Knightwalker with an intention to help her. He knew that there was no time to lose. Any lost second could cost her life.

Faust didn't even look what his son was doing. He stared at Laxus with widely opened eyes.

"W-What kind of magic was that? It destroyed my magical cords so easily! Was it… a Dragon Slayer magic spell?" the former king thought, frightened out of his senses. "Is it possible this man to be…? No, there is no way! There is absolutely no way!"

For a moment Faust get lost in his memories. He remembered the day when he had been defeated by these damn Earth Land Dragon Slayers. As it was to be expected, that memory was just unbearable for him. And now, as it seemed, another Dragon Slayer was standing in front of him… And this one seemed to be as powerful as the three other ones put together!

That was more than Faust could bear. His worst nightmare – to stay face to face with a Dragon Slayer – was coming true. His nerves couldn't stand that shock. He took a step back and swallowed with difficulty.

"Oh, no! No! Anything but that!" he said in his mind, still refusing to believe his senses. His entire body was trembling against his will. "This is just not possible! What is this Dragon Slayer doing here? There are no such people in our world! Oh, why didn't I finish him off a few minutes ago when I had a prefect chance to do it? But how could I know that…"

Before he could finish his thought, Laxus's Lightning Dragon Roar erupted upon him. Still frozen in shock, Faust couldn't dodge it and the magic hit him with all its power.

Meanwhile Jellal grabbed Erza's shoulders and strained all his strength, trying to draw her out of the dangerous place. That was much more difficult than he had expected. A half of her body was already absorbed in the magical trap. Feeling his touch, she raised her head for a moment and looked at him; he noticed that her eyes were filled with pain. After that her head sank on her chest. Almost lost consciousness, she rested all her weight against his hands. A sharp pain pierced his injured arm and shoulder; he felt that he wouldn't be able to hold the woman for a long time. The wound that Knightwalker herself had caused to him was now making more difficult for him to save her. And worse, there was great risk for him to fall into the entrance between the worlds along with Erza.

The blue-haired man realized that the situation was very dangerous for him but he clenched his teeth and didn't drop his beloved from his hands. Cold sweat was streaming down his face, every breath hurt him.

"I must save Erza's life at every cost! What should I do?" he thought, casting a desperate glance around himself. At the same moment he noticed his father's staff. Faust had dropped it from his hand when Laxus's magic had hit him and now it was lying on the floor near to Jellal. An idea flashed across the young king's mind.

"That's my chance to destroy Faust's staff!" he said in his mind.

Without losing any time, Jellal took a good grip of Erza with his right hand, grabbed the staff with his left one and slogged it against the gate between the worlds with all strength he had left. A bright white radiance erupted in an instant, blinding the young king for a few seconds. An enormous quantity of magical energy released at once. The staff broke on two pieces; besides, just as Jellal had hoped, the entrance between the worlds was destroyed too. The magical trap released the woman. The illusion mage managed to draw her out of the dangerous place with a supreme effort and folded her in his arms to protect her from the monstrous magical energy.

The white light faded bit by bit. When Jellal decided that there was no danger anymore, he gently laid Erza on the floor. Her face was very pale, her eyes were closed. He checked her pulse and gave a sigh of relief when he felt that her heart was beating.

Totally exhausted, Jellal remained stone-still for a second, trying to collect his thoughts. He was on the verge of fainting but he forced himself to turn his head and to look at his father.

Hit by the devastating wave of the Lightning Dragon's Roar, Faust was lying immovably. Obviously he had lost consciousness. But that wasn't enough to satisfy Laxus's fury; the blonde man was about to start pummelling his enemy ruthlessly. "You will remember when you have threatened the old man's life!" he yelled as loud as he could. His expression was really insane.

The illusion mage understood that he had to get the situation under control. He rushed towards Laxus, grabbed his hands and stopped him almost forcibly. "Stop it! That's enough! Don't hurt him anymore! Did you hear me? You must get control of yourself!" he said.

Laxus looked at Jellal so fiercely as if he was ready to vent his anger on him. "What? That's enough, you say? This trash deserves to be torn on pieces and even that won't be enough for him! Didn't you hear that he dared threaten our former guild?"

"I heard it. I know you are angry because he threatened your grandfather but please calm down now. Faust is defeated and our former guild mates are in no danger. Don't hurt him anymore because we must find out what he has done to Anima. That's the only way for you to return to Earth Land, you know. So please calm down!"

The lightning mage bit his lips and nodded. The fit of blind rage passed away slowly; he overmastered his emotions and his fists relaxed.

Jellal walked back to Erza, kneeled next to her and gently ran his fingers through her hair.

Laxus followed him slowly and leaned down to look at the woman. "I don't understand why you saved her life," he said. "She tried to kill you, after all. And she would probably succeed if I wasn't here."

The king was about to answer but just then the red-haired woman opened her eyes. She felt dizzy but that feeling passed away quickly. Her vision cleared up bit by bit and she saw Jellal who was standing next to her. She recognized him immediately and her face darkened with anger.

"Are you okay, Erza?" he pronounced. "How do you feel yourself?"

Instead of answering his questions, she curled up her lips.

"Why did you save me?" she asked through clenched teeth and drew a little aside from him. The contrast between Jellal's soft tone and her angry question was remarkable.

"I would rather say that I saved myself," the blue-haired mage corrected her. "Because I can't live if I don't see you."

"I prefer to be dead instead to owe my life to you!" Erza declared.

**The next chapter will be focused on Mystogan and Knightwalker. I will update it as soon as possible.**

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	14. Chapter 14

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**This chapter is for all people who sent me reviews until now! Thank you so much!**

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Chapter 14. I curse the day when I fell in love with you

Erza's declaration was so unexpected for Jellal that he remained speechless for a second. He didn't know what to say.

"Did I hear right?" he thought and fixed his dark eyes at the woman. She withstood his glance and didn't avert her eyes.

"What?" the illusion mage whispered when he regained his ability to speak. "You prefer to be…"

"I prefer to be dead instead to owe my life to you!" Erza repeated in a provocative manner. "Why didn't you leave me? It wouldn't be for the first time! You know what I mean, right? You have already left me once… More preciously, it was seven years ago. You disappeared without a word! There was no trace of you for years! (1) I missed you so much! I have suffered…"

That was far too much for Jellal and he felt that he was flying into a rage. He forgot that Laxus Dreyar was standing next to him; he didn't care that the lightning mage would hear his words. He was watching only Erza; the only thought in his head was his frenetic wish to tell her his true feelings. All emotions that he had accumulated and suppressed within his soul for years revealed themselves at once.

"What did you say, Erza Knightwalker? You have suffered?" Jellal asked through clenched teeth. "You dare say in my presence that you had suffered! And what should I say? Do you have any idea what I endured during the last seven years? Well, I will tell you! It was my duty to protect Earth Land and its innocent inhabitants against my father and his planes! In order to do that, I left my birth world and _you_… You can't imagine how painful the parting with you was for me! My heart bled but I had no other choice! I had to ignore my feelings! Believe me, Erza, while I was in Earth Land, I didn't stop thinking about you even for a minute! I _tried_ to forget you – oh, I really tried it so hard – but it was impossible for me because Erza Scarlet was a member of the same guild! She reminded me for you… Each time when I saw her, the memory for _you_ tortured me to the point of insanity! I repeated myself that I shouldn't think about you but my heart refused to listen to the common sense! And when I finally came back to Edolas, when I met you again, I was so glad! I hoped that I would finally have the right to think about you! I waited for an opportune moment to confess my love to you… And what happened to me then?"

He remained silent for a second, breathless with anger, and then continued speaking or rather roaring with increasing rage: "I will tell you what happened to me. The only woman I love betrayed me and my kingdom! And this woman is you! Yes, _you_ betrayed me, Erza Knightwalker! And _you_ wanted to kill me, my beloved! I have never thought that a captain of the Royal Army can go so far as to try to take away the king's life! Can you imagine what a cruel disappointment it was for me? Tell me, can you imagine it? Do you have any idea how broken my heart is? Tell me now which one of us has suffered more, me or you! Why do you keep silence? Answer me!"

He grabbed her shoulders and concussed her.

"Answer!" he shouted fiercely. "I order you to answer me immediately!"

It seemed to Erza that he was about to slap her but he didn't do it. She made an effort to scream: "Don't tell me anything else!" but she had completely lost her ability to speak. Not a sound escaped her lips; frozen in shock, she just stared at him with widely opened eyes. It was the first time when she saw Jellal in a fit of fury and she was terrified. He was in such state that it was really frightening to look at him. His handsome face was convulsed with anger, his pupils were dilated and his eyes sparkled (she had seen the same expression on Laxus's face a few minutes ago).

Erza had always thought that Jellal couldn't lose his temper because his nature was too well-balanced but now she saw that she had been wrong. His unexpected and almost cruel declaration of love left her speechless.

Jellal had suffered so much that now he was merciless on his turn.

"_You_ became allied with Faust, Erza! How do you think, does he deserve your loyalty? Take a good look at him!" The blue-haired mage pointed at the former king who was lying immovably near to them. "Faust didn't hesitate to throw you within the entrance between Edolas and Earth Land just because you were standing between me and him! I could just let you die but I decided to help you. I saved you risking my own life, and now you have the cheek to say that you preferred to be dead instead to owe your life to me! That's… I don't know how to call it! That's _ingratitude_! Yes, I think I found the right word! Ingratitude!"

Jellal took a deep breath. "I curse the day when I fell in love with you, Erza!" he hissed.

Hearing that, Knightwalker's heart stopped beating for a second and her face became deadly pale. She wanted to cover her ears with her hands because it was unbearable for her to listen to his words but she couldn't move. His last sentence continued echoing in her ears: "I curse the day when I fell in love with you, Erza!" Each one of these words was breaking her heart; she wouldn't suffer more even if he had stabbed her with her own sword. And the worst thing was that she knew she deserved his reproach. Her entire body started trembling under the stress of her feelings; tears welled up in her eyes.

Seeing her on the verge of fainting, the illusion mage felt sorry about his cruel words. He averted his eyes for a second and bit his lips. His anger gave way to compassion.

"I wish I could hate you but it is impossible for me," he whispered. "I love you against my will. This feeling is stronger than me. What I told you a few minutes ago was the truth itself. I can't live if I don't see you."

Unable to hide her confusion any longer, Knightwalker buried her face in her hands and broke out into tears. She hadn't cried this way since infancy. Her only wish at that moment was to be alone and far away from that place. She didn't want anyone to see her tears.

The blue-haired man grabbed her hands and forced them out of her face. He looked her in the eyes.

"I told you my true feelings, Erza," Jellal continued. His tone was calmer now. "So let's bring our conversation to the end. What are _your_ feelings for me? Whatever they are, tell me. Nothing can disappoint me more… Speak, I'm listening to you."

There was no answer. Erza closed her eyes because she couldn't withstand his glance anymore. Her tears ran fast. She was wringing her hands and didn't know how to express all emotions that were accumulated within her soul.

She wanted to ask for his forgiveness but she couldn't pronounce a word. She couldn't even say: "Please forgive me for betraying your trust!"

Jellal guessed what was running in her head. With a quick movement he wrapped his arms around her and felt that her entire body was trembling. She didn't try to release herself from his embrace because the violent emotions in the last few minutes had left her without any energy.

"I already know that you don't love me. Well, I can accept the facts. Please tell me… tell me at least that you don't hate me! That's all I want to hear from you!" the illusion mage said, fondling her red hair. His face had changed back to its usual expression, his tone was soft. There was no trace of the enraged man who had yelled at her a minute ago.

"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" That was the only thing Erza managed to pronounce. She buried her face in his clothes and they remained in that position for a few seconds.

Laxus's voice startled Jellal and Erza and brought them back to the reality. They had completely forgotten about his presence.

"That's very romantic! I see you two are in love but enough for now," the lightning mage said. There was a taste of irony in his tone. "We have work to do."

-ooo-

(1) Erza is speaking about the time when Jellal has been in Earth Land.

**I know that it isn't usual for Mystogan to lose his temper but I wanted to make his love confession not stereotypical.**** That is why I made the plot this way.**

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	15. Chapter 15

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Chapter 15. It is my duty to confess my fault

"To tell you the truth, I didn't know that you can lose your temper," the lightning user continued talking in a mocking tone, staring at Jellal. "That's something new about you. It's the first time I hear you shout."

Hearing Laxus's voice, Erza Knightwalker drew herself aside from Jellal. Her face blushed when she remembered that there was a witness of the scene between her and the king. She buried her face in her hands.

The red-haired woman really needed to be alone for some time to collect her thoughts. Laxus's words echoed in her mind: "I see you two are in love."

"Is it possible what this man said to be true? My feeling to Jellal… can it be love?" she wondered. Never in her life had she felt herself so confused.

As for Jellal, the same thoughts were running in his head. He closed his eyes for a moment.

"Was Laxus speaking seriously or he was just trying to make fun of us?" the illusion mage said in his mind. "Is it possible Erza to love me? No, it can't be... and yet… But I shouldn't think about that now!"

"You are right, Laxus," Jellal pronounced in a loud voice in an attempt to hide his confusion. "We have work to do indeed. We must go back to the Royal City and bring Faust and his helpers to the prison. It's still night, I hope that no one has noticed my absence…"

"Faust and his helpers? That includes me, right?" Erza asked with a total resignation in her voice.

Jellal stared at her. His expression was neutral but she felt that she couldn't withstand his glance and averted her eyes.

"No, it doesn't include you. I will forgive you this time, Erza. But I give my forgiveness to you for the first and last time! Don't forget that. If you betray my trust once more, I won't hesitate to banish you from the Royal City despite all my love for you."

Erza just nodded; she wanted to answer him but her words stuck in her throat. She forced her tears back.

Jellal rose on his feet but a spasm ran through his body and he nearly fell to the ground. His wound was re-opened and was bleeding again. He had almost forgotten about it in his efforts to save Erza and his love confession but now the pain was just unbearable.

Laxus grabbed Jellal with his right hand and Erza with the left one and helped them to rise on their feet.

The woman was watching the lightning mage with curiosity.

"Who are you?" she asked. "You aren't Laxus from this world, right? If you were, you wouldn't be able to use magic. Are you an Earth Land human?"

"Indeed he is," Jellal hurried up to reply. He knew that it was useless to deny it because his beloved had seen Laxus's magic. "He has been brought to our world when Faust has activated Anima. But nobody must know about that, Erza. Do you understand? For your own good, don't betray my trust again!"

"I won't, you can be sure about it," the woman answered. She stared at the blonde man for a second, and then bowed her head. "It's my fault that you are in this world, Laxus. If I hadn't helped Faust to escape from the prison, all that trouble wouldn't have happened. Can you…" She hesitated for a moment. "Can you forgive me as Jellal did?"

The lightning mage looked askance at her. "How to tell you… You better endeavor to not involve me in adventures like this next time or there will be one king and his beloved less in this kingdom."

"I must find some way to send Laxus back to his world," the blue-haired man added and cast a glance at his father. "Faust has done something with Anima and I can't reverse it now. Well, when Faust regains consciousness, I will wrest the secret from him."

But it wasn't necessary to inquire the former king. When they tied him, they found a little component of the Anima producing machine in his pocket.

"Now I understand why I couldn't reverse Anima! With this component missing, it is impossible for me to do it. It seems that it controls the direction of the exchange of magic," Jellal said under his breath.

"So, will you be able to send me back to Earth Land now?" Laxus asked impatiently.

"I hope so. Now we must go back to the Royal City as fast as we can. I, Laxus and Faust will travel with my Legion, Erza and the other prisoners will take her one," the illusion mage suggested. In fact, he wanted to be with his beloved but he knew that it would be better to keep an eye on Faust. The duty was always on first place. Besides, Laxus wasn't able to control the Legion's fly.

-ooo-

_About an hour later…_

It was still night when the small group of people turned back to the Royal City and entered the palace through the underground tunnel.

"Erza, you go to bring Faust and his helpers to the prison," Jellal ordered.

The red-haired captain nodded and led the captives away.

"And you come with me, Laxus," the illusion mage said without stop walking. "We have no time to lose. I will send you back to your world as I promised you. Besides, it is my duty to bring your counterpart here as soon as I can. Poor Edolas Laxus… Who knows what he has endured when he has found himself in the parallel world! Who knows where he is now and what is going on with him!"

"Well, when this damn Anima brought me here, I was near to the city of Magnolia. There was a girl with me… A girl called Wendy…"

Hearing that name, Jellal stopped short.

"What?" he asked and fixed his glance at his interlocutor. "Did I hear right? Wendy? You have met Wendy Marvel? How is she?"

Laxus raised his eyebrows. "Do you know her?"

"Yes, I know her since she was a little child. So please tell me how she is!"

"Well, she and her cat Charle were…" the lightning user started but he couldn't finish his sentence.

"Your majesty!" a loud yell echoed at the same moment and cut his words off. Startled by it, Jellal raised his head and saw a group of eight men of the royal army with Sugarboy on head at it. At the next moment the two former S-class mages were already surrounded.

"Oh, no! Anything but that! They have found my absence!" Jellal thought and bit his lips. He took a step back against his will. The blood drew out of his face and it became deadly pale. That was what he had feared most… and now his fear came true. That was far too much for him after all emotional shocks he had endured during the night.

The blue-haired man took a deep breath. "I must calm down! I shouldn't look nervous because it will make things even worse!" he ordered to himself.

"What is this for…?" Laxus asked but Sugarboy didn't pay any attention to his question. The blonde captain took a step forward, looking at the king up and down. Obviously he was in a gloomy mood.

"Your majesty, you have secretly left the palace in the middle of the night," he said in a cold tone. His statement was so categorical that Jellal didn't even think to deny it. "The royal council wants to know where you have been and what have you done. When the council members listen to you, they will decide if you deserve to wear the Edolas crown."

Sugarboy made a pause. He expected an answer but Jellal didn't say anything.

"The royal council will be ready to listen to your explanation within an hour," Sugarboy continued. "You must remain in your room until then, my lord. That's the council's order. So please follow us." Sugarboy cast a glance at Laxus. "And you must come with us too."

"What? How dare you…" the irritated Laxus exclaimed but Jellal gave him a sign to remain silent. The illusion mage knew that any resistance was meaningless; it could only make the situation worse. The most reasonable thing at the moment was to obey the council's order without complaining.

"I'm ready to come with you," the young king said in a calm tone. His expression was denuded of every emotion.

-ooo-

Ten minutes later Erza was in the corridor where Sugarboy had met the two former S-class mages. She was in a hurry to find the king and to tell him that she had left Faust in the prison. Then she heard a sound of approaching steps and male voices. Obviously two members of the Royal Army were talking to each other.

"I heard that king Jellal has finally appeared!" the first one pronounced.

These words made Erza stop short. She pricked up her ears, listening to the conversation.

"That's right," the other voice answered. "Now his majesty will have to explain where he had been… and woe to him if he doesn't have a good excuse for his actions! The royal council will dethrone him."

The steps and the voices faded.

Erza leaned against the wall because it seemed to her that she was about to lose consciousness. Her feet refused to serve her. The words she had heard continued echoing in her ears: "Now his majesty will have to explain where he had been… and woe to him if he doesn't have a good excuse for his actions! The royal council will dethrone him."

"Goodness! Someone has noticed Jellal's absence!" she said in her mind. "He may lose his crown… and it's entirely my fault because I set Faust free! If I hadn't done it, Jellal wouldn't be in trouble now! How could I do it? It's my fault!"

Tears welled up in her eyes; she grabbed her red locks and strained them ruthlessly.

"What should I do?" she wondered. "Well, I don't have many options. It is my duty to confess my fault in the presence of the royal council. I will probably be punished… and I do deserve it. That's the only way to save Jellal."

At the same moment she heard that someone was calling her name. She raised her head and saw Sugarboy who was approaching her.

"Captain Knightwalker! At least I found you! Where have you been? Do you know what is going on? Faust is gone; there is no trace of him!"

"Don't worry, he is in the prison," she said under her breath.

"He is in the prison, you say?" Sugarboy's expression was totally confused. "How is this possible? King Jellal was missing too! We have just found him and after an hour he will have to explain where he had been in the presence of the royal council…"

"I must be there too. It is my duty to tell something to the council…" Erza whispered.

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	16. Chapter 16

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Chapter 16. You are sentenced to be banished from our world

_A__bout an hour later…_

The sun was rising and the king's room was filled with light. The bright morning was in contrast with the emotions within the souls of Jellal and Laxus.

The illusion mage was lying on his bed, stone-still and silent like a sculpture. His face was buried in the pillow and only his blue hair could be seen. Even his breath couldn't be heard but he wasn't sleeping. Despite his tiredness, despite the loss of blood, it was impossible for him to sleep at a moment like that. A sharp pain of his wound was torturing him but he didn't pay any attention to it; his thoughts were much more painful for him.

"What should I do now? What will I say to the members of the royal council? I have no choice but to tell them the truth…" he thought.

Laxus was walking nervously across the room, he just couldn't stand still. His anger was rising within him again and he felt like destroying the entire palace. It was taking him great efforts to keep his emotions under control.

"That's going too far! Now we will have to explain where we have been and what we have done! As if all other things weren't enough for me… and now this!" he thought angrily. "I wonder what else can happen!"

Then it seemed to him that he heard Jellal's sigh. That was far too mush for his tense nerves.

"Why are you sighing? Get a hold of yourself, you haven't dethroned yet! It's too early for you to fall into despair," the thunder mage said sharply.

Jellal raised his head up immediately and cast a glance at Laxus. He wasn't crying. His absolutely dry eyes were burning; they looked darker now and outlined against his extremely pale face.

"Maybe you think that I'm mourning for my crown?" he asked and knitted his brows. His voice was cold and strained, the muscles of his face quivered. "If you think this way, you are deeply wrong, Laxus. I don't care about being a king. I'm worrying only about the people of Edolas… Who will lead them if the royal council decide to dethrone me? That's my only concern at the moment." His voice broke and he buried his face in the pillow again.

The blonde man hadn't expected such an answer. For a moment he remained silent because he didn't know what to say.

At the same second the door opened. Sugarboy entered the room, accompanied by three members of the royal army.

Jellal jumped on his feet in an instant. He looked absolutely calm, only his eyes sparkled.

"Your majesty, the royal council is waiting for you," Sugarboy said without any introduction. "Please come with us."

"I'm coming," Jellal replied in a loud voice. He looked at Laxus and said under his breath: "Keep your nerves under control now or we will be both lost! If someone finds out that you aren't Laxus from this world, the situation will become even worse! Did you understand? Don't say anything that may provoke the council's anger! It's for your own good!"

The Earth Land human didn't answer him; he just clenched his teeth and ran his fingers through his golden hair.

-ooo-

When the two former Fairy Tail mages entered the hall where all members of the royal council were sitting, everyone's eyes turned to look at them. Jellal shivered despite all his self-control.

"I shouldn't look nervous!" he reminded to himself.

Some of the people had expressions of curiosity on their faces; others were obviously in a gloomy mood.

Only one person in the hall didn't watch Jellal and Laxus and it was Erza Knightwalker who was standing in the corner. Her face was pale but she looked absolutely calm. Her eyes were closed… as if she was trying to screw up her courage.

"What is she doing here?" Jellal wondered but at the next moment a male voice drew his attention away from her.

"Your majesty, you have secretly left the palace in the middle of the night. It is useless for you to deny it," the chairman of the royal council said. "You definitely know that it's a serious breaking of the court rules, right?"

"Yes, I know it," the young king confirmed.

"We insist to know where have you been and what have you done, my lord," the chairman continued. "When we listen to you, we will decide if you deserve to wear the Edolas crown. Speak, we are listening to you."

Jellal took a deep breath. "Ladies and gentlemen, I know that I'm not allowed to do anything without your approval but I had no other choice this time. You see, the former king had escaped the prison and it was my duty to catch him. It was a mission of a great importance for the entire Edolas world. I couldn't count on anyone else to do it so I decided to go after Faust myself."

"But you weren't alone, were you? This man has accompanied you," the chairman said, pointing at Laxus.

The illusion mage nodded. "I asked him to come with me because it would be too reckless to go alone. I didn't tell anyone else what I intended to do because the news for Faust's disappearing would frighten everyone in the palace. I didn't want to panic people."

"Even if that is so, you have left the palace without our permission, your majesty," the chairman muttered and half closed his eyes. His face darkened even more.

Jellal dropped his eyes. What could he answer?

"You are right; I really broke the court rules. I'm ready to take the responsibility for my actions. If you think that my behaviour is unacceptable for a king, punish me as I deserve," he said under his breath finally. He remained silent for a moment, wondering what else to say.

Just then Knightwalker's voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Please don't punish his majesty for other person's faults! I will tell you how Faust escaped the prison, ladies and gentlemen," she declared.

"Erza!" Jellal exclaimed loudly against his will. That exclamation escaped his lips because he guessed what she was going to say.

The red-haired woman didn't even look at him; she continued speaking as if she hadn't heard his voice.

"The truth is that… I'm responsible for everything that happened because I set Faust free," she said. It was obvious that it took her a great effort to pronounce these words. "And his majesty king Jellal is in this situation now because of me."

Her declaration was so unexpected for the members of the council that they just stared at her, unable to believe their ears.

"Captain Knightwalker!" the chairman exclaimed. "Are you speaking seriously? Why have you done such a thing?"

"I have done it for such an insignificant reason that I'm ashamed to tell you. I was angry because his majesty had invited all Fairy Tail members in the palace… As I told you, everything that happened is my fault! Please punish me but don't dethrone king Jellal! Please…" Erza whispered in a desperate tone and sighed. "I will accept every punishment that the council decide to inflict upon me," she added after a few seconds hesitation and bowed her head in a sign of full resignation.

The followed silence looked endless for the red-haired woman. Everyone in the hall (including Jellal and Laxus) looked at each other, and then fixed their eyes at her. She had to gather all her courage to withstand their glances.

The chairman stared at every member of the council as if he was trying to guess what was running in everyone's mind.

"Well, in that case…" he said in a calm tone. "Your majesty, the royal council won't punish you for your actions. You will be crowned as it was planned."

Erza gave a sigh of relief. Jellal wouldn't be dethroned, thank goodness! A smile appeared on her lips but it faded almost immediately because the chairman turned to look at her and continued talking in the same calm and even cold tone: "As for you, captain Knightwalker… Your actions are unacceptable for a captain of the Royal Army. You know that even without me telling it to you, right? Do you know what the punishment for such betrayal is?"

Erza didn't answer him. She had lost her ability to speak at the moment. Her heart was beating faster than usual; it seemed to her that an invisible hand was choking her.

"Listen to our decision, captain Kinghtwalker: you are sentenced to be banished from our world," the chairman said and all members of the council nodded assent.

Even Laxus's thunderbolt couldn't strike Erza with such a crushing blow as these calmly pronounced words. At the first moment it seemed to her that she hadn't heard right. She had expected anything but that. Despite her efforts to hide her emotions, her face became deadly pale.

"What? Banished from _our world_?" she repeated unconsciously and clenched her hands in fists to stop their trembling.

The chairman of the council nodded. "That's right. You will be sent into exile in the parallel world, the Earth Land."

**Review please, please, please!**

**It will take me 7-8 days to finish writing the next chapter. I apologize in advance for the late update!**


	17. Chapter 17

**Thank you so much for the reviews!**

**Please enjoy!**

Chapter 17. Let me intercede for her

"You will be sent into exile in the parallel world, the Earth Land." That sentence echoed again and again in Erza's mind. Its meaning was in contrast with the calm tone of the person who had said it.

"Sent into exile… in Earth Land!" she said in her mind and put her hands to her head. Cold shivers ran down her back. A part of her soul refused to believe that what she had heard was true. It was too terrible to be real! She had presumed that she could be banished from the Royal City but it hadn't even come to her mind that the council could decide to send her to _Earth Land_. "What will I do there? All alone and without any magical power in this foreign world, full of magic… Woe to me! Oh, woe to me!" At the next moment even worse thought crossed her mind. "It means… it means that I will never see Jellal again!"

Feeling a sudden weakness, Erza fell to her knees. The members of the council thought that it was a sign of resignation but the truth was that her feet refused to serve her. And then, at that very moment, forced to face the fact that she was about to be parted from Jellal forever, she realized with piercing clearness her true feelings to him… What she felt to the illusion mage was love indeed. Yes, there was no doubt about it. Laxus had been right. He had understood her feelings before she had been able to realize them herself.

"How could Laxus understand me when even I couldn't understand myself?" she wondered.

But no matter how despaired she was, her desperation wasn't greater than Jellal's one. The young king didn't say a word and made no movement. His expression didn't change but there was a storm of emotions under his calm grimace. It seemed to him that he was in a middle of a nightmarish dream. His entire world was collapsing.

"On, no! That's just not possible!" he said to himself in horror. "I will probably never see Erza again!"

That was more than he could bear. Even the thought to see her never again was unbearable for him.

What should he do? Maybe he should accompany her and live with her in Earth Land? That wouldn't be so difficult for him; he had spent the last seven years there, after all. But he hadn't right to think only about himself now. He had his duties as a king; the people of Edolas counted on him to lead them. He couldn't just leave them. His place was there, in his birth world.

"I must find some way to talk the council out of banishing Erza! But how can I do it? What should I say? What?" Jellal thought desperately. He turned his head to look at Laxus as if he was asking him for help… and then an idea crossed his mind. Yes, there was something he could say. Hopefully, it would be enough to talk the council out.

Meanwhile Erza was trying to get over the shock. She felt an indescribable wish to cry but clenched her teeth and forced back her tears. It took her a supreme effort to pull herself together.

"I deserve this punishment!" she reminded to herself and bowed her head.

"I'm completely obeying the council's decision," she whispered in a tone of total submission and swallowed with difficulty. "I do deserve this punishment. Please tell me when I will be sent to the parallel world. I ask you only to let me bid farewell to…"

"Wait, wait!" Jellal said in a loud voice, interrupting her words. "Ladies and gentlemen, please listen to me! Don't send captain Knightwalker into exile, I beg you!"

Everyone looked at him in surprise. Even Erza raised her head and stared at him in amazement.

"What? Jellal is trying to save me! He is trying to save me even after everything I have done!" she thought. "It can't be!"

"Your majesty, Erza Knightwalker can't remain in the world that she threatened with her actions. Edolas was in danger because of her. You know that better than us," the chairman said curtly.

"I know it but I'm afraid that if you banish her, Edolas will be in greater danger!" Jellal hurried up to answer. "I mean, if you bring her to the parallel world, her Earth Land counterpart may be sent here! And I'm sure you didn't want Erza Scarlet in our world! Who knows what she can do if she finds herself here!"

Hearing Jellal's words, the members of the council gave an amazed look at each other. They were frightened with a good reason. It was easy to understand why no one of them wanted Erza Scarlet to be around them. It would be better that dangerous sorceress to stay away from Edolas.

"You are right, your majesty. We can't risk bringing Erza Scarlet here because our world will be on the edge of a precipice in that case," the chairman muttered thoughtfully. "But in any case, I think that it is unacceptable for captain Knightwalker to remain in the Royal City, not to speak about the palace."

"I… I trust her," Jellal said after a few seconds hesitation. "Please let her remain here… I'm sure she will never betray my trust again."

Deep silence followed his words. Erza didn't dare take breath; every second looked like all eternity to her. She was waiting to hear the chairman's answer with a sinking heart.

"Very well, your majesty," the chairman said finally. "Listen to my decision. Captain Knightwalker confessed that the reason for her actions had been the presence of the Fairy Tail members in the palace. Well then, let them decide whatever she deserve our forgiveness or not. We will ask them and if they intercede for her, she will remain here, in the palace. Do you agree with me?" he asked and cast a glance at the council. Everyone nodded assent.

Erza's heart sank within her again. She knew perfectly well that there was no way any Fairy Tail member to intercede for her. She had been in pursuit of them for so long time… It was no accident that her nickname was the Fairy Hunter. They would probably be happy that she would be sent into exile and they would never see her again.

Just when that hopeless thought crossed her mind, Laxus (who had been silent until that moment) began speaking and his voice broke the silence.

"In that case, ladies and gentlemen, let me intercede with you for captain Knightwalker. I have that right as a member of the Fairy Tail guild," the lightning mage said loudly. His scowled expression didn't refer to a man who was speaking up for another person; his voice wasn't pleading but cold and strained.

That was so unexpected for Jellal that he stared at the Earth Land human, unable to believe his ears. "Did I hear right? It isn't usual for Laxus to act this way! He has always been so selfish… Why is he trying to help Erza… and me?" he wondered.

The members of the royal council were also stunned. Hearing such words from the mouth of the man who they considered to be an Edolas Fairy Tail member, they had no choice but to give their forgiveness to Erza.

"Very well… Captain Knightwalker, we will forgive you this time. You will remain here but it will be better for you to be careful! If you do something like that again, there will be no forgiveness for you," the chairman said and ordered to open the hall door. The master of ceremonial and many people of the Royal Army who had been waiting outside the hall entered in and stopped for a second on the door-sill.

"The council decided that his majesty will be crowned as it was planned," the chairman said briefly.

At the next moment the hall was already bustling with people.

Erza breathed a sigh of relief but didn't move. She remained in the same position, on her knees, with her head bowed, as if she didn't notice what was going on around her.

"Thank goodness!" she thought.

Someone's hands took her shoulders gently; raising her head, she saw Jellal.

"Are you okay?" he asked in a soft tone and helped her to rise on her feet.

The moment obviously wasn't appropriate for long or emotional speeches but she didn't need to say anything; looking her in the eyes, Jellal guessed what was running in her head. Her eyes were filled with gratefulness… and even something more.

"Thanks…" That was the only word she managed to pronounce. The illusion mage gave a smile to her.

"You need to thank not only me but Laxus as well," he reminded her.

The woman remained silent for two or three seconds, trying to collect her thoughts.

"Yes, you are right," she agreed, turning to look at Laxus. "I owe a debt of gratitude to you but please tell me something… Why did you help me?"

The lightning mage hesitated for a second. Should he say the truth? Should he confess that when he had seen Erza's desperate expression, he had remembered his own banishment from the Earth Land Fairy Tail guild? He could understand her desperation because he himself was parted from the people he loved – his grandfather, his team mates and all guild members. He had wished to save her that grief and that had made him intercede for her. That was the truth but his pride rose against the thought to confess it. As usual, Laxus hid his emotions behind his angry grimace and knitted his brows, trying to think up some caustic answer.

"You don't need to thank me, girl," he snapped at her. Hearing the word "girl", Erza immediately forgot all her gratitude to him and gnashed her teeth but the blonde man continued speaking as if he hadn't noticed that: "I helped you just because your presence will be a disaster for Earth Land. Besides, it wouldn't be very romantic if the two in love were parted from each other, right?" he added with a sarcastic smile on his face, looking her at one moment and Jellal at another.

Hearing these words from Laxus's mouth for a second time, Jellal thought over them for a few seconds, and then looked at Erza up and down.

"Is what Laxus said the truth?" the blue-haired mage asked her directly.

**For this story's goal, I decided that Erza Knightwalker must be saved with Laxus's help. I know it isn't usual for him to act this way but I already described the most ruthless side of his personality and now I wanted to show his kind side. Do you like the plot this way?**

**Please send me a review!**


	18. Chapter 18

**I would like to thank the people who sent me reviews! **

**Please enjoy!**

Chapter 18. Knightwalker's confession

"Is what Laxus said the truth?" the blue-haired mage asked directly.

Erza closed her eyes, wondering how to answer him. Some kind of shame was torturing her and it was so difficult for her to confess her feelings to him. Now, when she had got over the emotional shock, it began seems to her that she hadn't right to love Jellal… He was the king of Edolas and she was a captain of the Royal Army; she was supposed to serve him, not to love him.

"Maybe my love to him is a betrayal… a betrayal greater even the fact that I tried to kill him!" she thought in horror.

The red-haired woman took a deep breath, opened her eyes and looked at Jellal again. She made an effort to answer but her words stuck in her throat so she could only nod.

"Does this mean "yes"?" the young king insisted. "Tell me, I want to know!"

"Of course it means "yes"! You should be blind to not see that she is in love with you. That's what her brain is enough for!" Laxus said in his usual caustic manner. "And if you ask for my opinion, you aren't smarter than her. Falling in love with such a woman definitely isn't the wisest thing a man can do!"

Jellal didn't pay any attention to these sarcastic words; his entire attention was focused on Erza. He fondled her hair gently and put his arms on her head.

"Tell me the truth," he whispered softly. "I want to hear it from your own lips."

Erza gathered all of her will.

"It's not easy for me to say it," she said under her breath and swallowed with difficulty. "Yes, what Laxus said is the truth itself but I'm ashamed to confess it. You know… I'm a captain of the Royal Army. It is my duty to protect your life and nothing more. So I feel guilty for loving you…" her voice broke and she bowed her head.

Contrary to her expectation, Jellal laughed in a heart-free manner. "Don't torture yourself with such thoughts, my beloved. There is nothing you should be ashamed of!" he said, fondling her hair. "You don't have any idea how happy I am…"

"Your majesty!" a male voice interrupted his words. The master of ceremonial had come close to them. "Your majesty, please come with me! The ceremony for your coronation will start immediately!" he said.

"What? Right now? But there is something I must do before that! I have an important work to do!" Jellal tried to protest. Of course, that "important work" was sending Laxus back to his birth world.

"There is no time, my lord! Whatever your work is, it can wait! Let's go, all guests are already here! They are waiting for you!" the master of ceremonial insisted.

The lightning mage knitted his brows and growled. That made Jellal forgot about his heart emotions immediately. He guessed what was running in Laxus's head.

"I know you don't want to stay here anymore but please have a little more patience!" the young king whispered. "I promise to send you back to Earth Land when the ceremony is over. Now come with me because all Edolas Fairy Tail members expect Laxus to appear. If they don't see you, they will suspect that there is something unusual! And the most important thing is nobody to realize that you aren't Laxus from this world!"

"That's far too much! I don't want to be at your stupid ceremony! Do you understand? And I don't want to pretend anymore that I'm another person! I'm sick and tired of this theatre! It really went too far!" Lightning Dragon Slayer answered furiously. "You expect me to join these Edolas Fairt Tail fools who had the cheek to call me weakling!" He remained silent because only the memory for that monstrous insult was making his blood boil in anger.

"For goodness' sake, don't speak so loud! I understand your indignation but it's for your own good. It's not time for quarrels now! So please keep your nerves under control or you will compromise yourself and me. And you know that I'm the king of Edolas!" Jellal added in an imploring tone.

"The king of Edolas! A disaster, that's what you are. Woe to this world with a king like you! Oh, it would have been better if you had never joined the Earth Land Fairy Tail guild…" the irritated Laxus started but he stopped speaking suddenly. He bit his lips and ran his fingers through his golden hair. It took him a great effort to bit back the angry words that were rising in his throat.

-ooo-

_Thirty minutes later _

The crowning ceremony had already started.

That was an extremely important moment in Jellal's life but he couldn't concentrate his attention on the ceremony; he was watching the Earth Land mage who was standing in the corner of the hall along with the Edolas Fairy Tail guild. His face was becoming darker and darker with every passing minute. Jellal knew that expression very well; it was a sure sign that Laxus's patience was on its end.

"The last thing I need now is Laxus to fly into a rage! Now he can use his magic, who knows what he can do if he gets angry! He can ruin the entire palace!" the king thought.

There was only one thing he could do.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I'm afraid that I must interrupt the ceremony for a while," Jellal declared.

All guests stared at him and their eyes widened in surprise. Taking advantage of that moment when everyone was watching the king, Laxus took a noiseless step back and left the hall without anyone sees him.

"What? To interrupt the ceremony? But why? Your majesty, don't forget that the etiquette requires…" the master of ceremonial tried to protest but Jellal had already risen on his feet.

"Excuse me for minute, dear guests. I will be right back. Please have a little patience," he said and left the hall under the guests' astonished glances.

"The king's behaviour is strange, don't you think?" Lucy Ashley whispered in Gray Surge's ear.

"It is very strange, indeed," he agreed. "I wonder what the reason for it is!"

He was one of the many people who said that. Only one person in the hall knew what was going on and it was Erza Knightwalker. She guessed what Jellal intended to do but she didn't say a word. She had promised to tell nobody that an Earth Land human had been brought to Edolas world. Besides, she owed a debt of gratitude to Laxus because his intervention had saved her from banishment. If he hadn't interceded for her, she would have been forced to ask the Edolas Fairy Tail members for intersession. Oh, what a humiliation it would have been for her! Even the thought about that sent cold shivers down her body.

In the meantime, while all guests were still wondering over the king's behaviour, the two former S-class mages were walking fast along the corridors. They didn't talk and didn't even look at each other because they both knew that there was no time to lose. A few minutes later they entered the room where the Anima producing machine was.

When the missing component of the machine was put on its place, Jellal took a deep breath and looked at the lightning mage.

"Well, I'm ready to reverse Anima but before I send you back to your world, let me tell you something. I know that you are angry with all members of the Magic Council because they helped Faust but please don't do anything against them. You know that you can't stand against the Magic Council… No one can. If you do such a thing, the entire Earth Land Fairy Tail guild may suffer… And that includes your grandfather too!"

Laxus knitted his brows. The words that the members of the Magic Council were said echoed in his mind: "If this man is really able to erase the entire Fairy Tail guild from the face of the earth, why shouldn't we help him? That's our chance to get rid of Makarov forever! Just think about it, we will never see him again!" Yes, these mages had dared threaten Makarov. The blonde man was really angry with them but he knew that Jellal was right. It would be too reckless to set against the Council.

"Don't teach me what to do," he said through clenched teeth. "You don't need to worry. I would never do anything that may expose our former guild to danger. Now hurry up and activate this damn Anima already!"

Jellal hesitated if he should thank Laxus for everything he has done. After all, the lightning mage had saved his life, he had helped him to catch Faust, and his intercession had saved Erza Knightwalker from being banished. After a second hesitation the blue-haired mage decided that it would be better to say nothing.

"It will be absolutely useless for me to try to express my gratitude to him. The only answer I will get will be some of his biting remarks," Jellal said in his mind and prepared to reverse the Anima magic.

**I will update the next chapter as soon as possible.**

**Please send me a review! Please, please, please!**


	19. Chapter 19

**Thank you so much for the reviews!**

**Here is the next chapter. Please enjoy!**

Chapter 19. Is this really you

_At the same time in Earth Land…_

It was already morning and the sun was shining above the East Forest. All Fairy Tail members were still at Porlyusica's home. Of course, she didn't like that; the presence of so many people at her home was a nightmare for her but she was standing it in the name of her friendship with Makarov. So the old woman was sitting in the corner, trying to pay no attention to the people around her.

The Fairy Tail mages were trying to console Edolas Laxus. As it was to be expected, realizing his unenviable position, he was in shock and couldn't stop crying. The thought that he was all alone in the parallel world was just unbearable for him.

"What will I do if king Jellal doesn't find some way to bring me back to my world? Oh, woe to me!" he repeated desperately. "Why is this happening to me? Why? What have I done to deserve this?"

Sitting next to him, master Makarov was fondling his golden hair – something he hadn't done since _his_ Laxus was eight-years-old (not that he didn't want to do it, but he knew that he wouldn't be allowed). Of course, Makarov knew that the man next to him wasn't his grandson and yet he was so similar to him – he had the same face, the same voice… Only his behaviour was different.

"Don't torture yourself, Laxus. It's still early for you to fall into despair. I'm sure that Jellal won't leave things the way they are now. He will bring you back to your birth world soon," the guild master said. "In the meantime you will be with us and nothing will harm you. So try to calm down and don't cry."

The Edolas human sighed. "No, you don't understand, sir. It's not that I'm afraid for myself," he explained. "I have friends in Edolas. The thought to be parted from them is what tortures me… What will I do without them?" His tears streamed again.

The Fairy Tail mages looked at each other.

"That's so strange! I have never thought that I would hear such a declaration from Laxus's mouth," Erza Scarlet said.

"It is beyond any doubt that Edolas Laxus is total opposite of _our_ one," Natsu muttered. "Don't you think so, Happy? What will you say?"

"Aye," the blue cat agreed.

"No, it's not so… Except for that astraphobia, maybe our Laxus and his Edolas counterpart aren't as different as it seems to you," Fried said under his breath as if he was speaking to himself.

"What do you mean?" the Fire Dragon Slayer asked in bewilderment but Fried didn't answer him. The green-haired mage rested his head against his hands and sighed; obviously he was lost in his thoughts.

Makarov didn't pay any notice to that short conversation; his entire attention was focused on the Edolas human.

"Don't worry. Jellal won't leave things this way," he repeated in a comforting manner. "You will see your friends soon."

Edolas Laxus smiled through his tears. "You are so good to me, sir! I don't know how to thank you for your kindness!" he said in a soft tone and took Makarov's hands in his ones.

To his surprise, the old man sighed heavily and averted his eyes.

"D-Did I say something I shouldn't say?" the blonde man asked in bewilderment. "Did I insult you? What is wrong, sir?"

"It's nothing. Don't pay attention to me, I'm fine," Makarov answered with a sigh. His interlocutor didn't dare ask what was wrong with him for a second time.

"You are so kind person in Edolas world, Laxus," the master thought, forcing back his tears. "Why aren't you the same here, in Earth Land? In fact, you were a kind person in your childhood… And maybe you still would be if… if I hadn't banished your father from Fairy Tail. But I had no other choice… I couldn't let him remain at the guild! Oh, it's entirely your fault, Ivan!" Makarov clenched his teeth, making efforts to get the painful memories out of his mind.

"It's already morning. I wonder what has happened in Edolas during the night! Who knows what is going on with Jellal now," Wendy said unexpectedly. It was obvious that she was very concerned about the illusion mage. "I hope that he is okay…"

She hadn't finished her sentence when a sudden strange feeling made her raise her head. And she wasn't the only one who did so; all mages felt an enormous quantity of magical energy.

"What's this? Is it possible to be…?" Mirajane couldn't finish her question.

"Anima! It can't be anything else!" Natsu and Happy exclaimed in one voice.

Hearing their words, Edolas Laxus jumped on his feet. "It's Anima? Are you sure about that?" he nearly yelled with an emotion in his voice. "If you are right, then king Jellal has activated that magic and I will be saved! Oh, I have to see it with my own eyes!" Before anyone could stop him, he ran out of Porlyusica's home.

"Wait, Laxus! Don't be so hasty! Wait for a minute!" all Earth Land mages cried out, following him. Even Porlyusica didn't remain inside. When they left the room, the light of the bright day blinded their eyes at the first moment but after that they saw a well-known sight in the sky. There was something near to the sun that looked like a giant tunnel.

"Yes, there is no mistake! It's was really Anima!" Natsu exclaimed. At the same moment a bright radiance erupted from the tunnel and enveloped Edolas Laxus who was nearest to it. Everyone else covered their eyes with their hands… and when they opened them again, they saw a male figure standing in front of them. A loud yell escaped their lips (only Makarov was silent).

"Oh, thank goodness! Laxus! You are _our_ Laxus, right? Is this _really_ you?" Bixlow and Evergreen exclaimed in one voice. Along with Fried they rushed towards their former leader with an intention to embrace him.

Natsu did the same thing but his intention was totally different; he was about to pummel the blonde man. "Laxus, fight with me!" he yelled as loud as he could, clenching his hand in fist. His fire aura enveloped his body.

"What happened in Edolas? Did you see Jellal? Is he alive and well? Please tell me, Laxus-san!" Wendy said at her turn and also ran towards him.

"Finally I'm in my world again!" Laxus Dreyar thought and cast a glance around him. Seeing the five people who were running towards him and the other guild members, he remained frozen in shock for a second.

"What is this? Fried, Bixlow, Evergreen? Natsu? Wendy? What is going on?" the lightning mage wondered. His heart sank painfully within him. On the one hand, he would be so happy to hug his team mates, to speak with his grandfather, and even to fight with Natsu if that would give pleasure to the fire mage… But on the other hand, he knew perfectly well that his place wasn't there. He had been banished from the Fairy Tail guild and shouldn't be together with the guild members. Besides, he had absolutely no wish to explain them what had happened in the parallel world. His former guild mates didn't know that Faust had planned to activate Anima and to bring all of them to Edolas again. They didn't even suppose what danger they were exposed to… and it would be better for them to know nothing about that.

Laxus's hesitation continued only for a moment; after that he took his decision.

"I have to get out of here immediately!" he said to himself.

Meanwhile, Natsu, Wendy and the Raijinshuu team were approaching him. They already reached their hands to Laxus but before they could touch him, he transformed his body into a lightning bolt and disappeared in a flash of white light. That was so unexpected for them that they couldn't stop their running in time and came into collusion.

Unfortunately, the entrance between the worlds hadn't closed yet. Five people crushed one another but only two of them fell on the ground and they were Natsu and Wendy. Being Dragon Slayers, they couldn't be affected from Anima. Alas, it wasn't the same with the members of the Raijinshuu team; the giant tunnel absorbed them and after that it disappeared without a trace.

**It will take me 5-6 days to finish writing the next chapter. Please accept my apologies for the late update!**

**Please send me a review! I will be very grateful for that!**


	20. Chapter 20

**Thanks for the reviews!**

**Here is the final of the story.**

**Please enjoy! **

Chapter 20. As if Laxus was not enough for me

Speechless, Natsu and Wendy stared at the sky but only the sun was shining on it; Anima had disappeared as if it had never been.

As for the other guild members, they remained stone-still, also staring at the sky, unable to believe their eyes. For two or three seconds, nobody moved or spoke.

"Oh, no! What bad luck was that! Anima absorbed the Raijinshuu team!" Charle whispered in horror.

"Aye, it seems so," Happy added.

These words brought Mirajane of the stupor she was in. Realizing their meaning, she gasped for air. A terrible thought crossed her mind.

"Fried! He is in Edolas now! What will happen to him?" the white-haired beauty cried out desperately, tearing her hair. The thought that the man she loved was in the parallel world was unbearable for her.

"Don't worry about him. Fried is a man! He can look after himself," Elfman answered his big sister. "But what will happen with Evergreen? She is the one we have to worry about! She is a frail girl…"

"What? Evergreen? Do you realize what you are saying, Elfman?" Erza Scarlet asked. "You should know better than anyone else that she is strong enough. Have you forgotten that you have been defeated by her during the Fighting Festival? Besides, if she was weak, Laxus wouldn't invite her to join his team."

"You are right but don't forget that Evergreen won't be able to use her magic in the parallel world!" Natsu said. "And it's the same for her team mates! They have never eaten X-balls!"

"How do you think, will Mystogan meet them friendly? I mean, they are Laxus's team mates, after all! And we all know that Mystogan isn't on good terms with Laxus!" Mirajane said anxiously.

"Of course he will meet them friendly! Don't doubt about Jellal's kindness, Mira-san," Wendy replied quickly in an attempt to console her. "Don't worry. Jellal will send Fried-san and the others back to our world very soon."

"I hope so," Mirajane muttered and sighed.

-ooo-

_Meanwhile (in Edolas)…_

It was impossible to describe EdoLaxus's happiness when he found himself in the royal palace.

"Your majesty! It's really you! Oh, thank goodness, I'm home again!" the blonde man exclaimed.

Hearing his own title, Jellal couldn't suppress his smile. Yes, the man in front of him was Edolas Laxus indeed. The young king knew perfectly well that Makarov's grandson would never call him "your majesty".

"If you know what happened to me, my lord…" EdoLaxus was about to start telling his story but Jellal gave him a sign to shut up.

"You will explain me everything later, Laxus," the illusion mage said. "Now calm down and listen to me. The ceremony of my coronation is taking place right now. I must return to the big hall so please come with me. I will enter the hall first and you will enter it a few minutes later. I hope that nobody will notice you because everyone will be looking at me. Did you understand?"

Edolas Laxus nodded obediently, out of happiness because he was in his world again.

The blue-haired man smiled unconsciously. "It's over now! Now the ceremony can continue without obstacles!" he thought and both men left the room when the Anima producing machine was.

But Jellal was wrong. He was going to be convinced about that very soon.

-ooo-

_Three minutes later_

With all dignity he could show at the moment, Jellal entered the big hall. All guests stared at him with curiosity and whispered to each other but he had expected that and tried to pay no attention to them.

"I shouldn't look nervous!" he reminded to himself.

The young king was walking ahead while the crowd drew aside respectfully to make way for him. Finally he reached his throne and took his place.

"Can we continue with the crowning ceremony now, your majesty?" the master of ceremonial asked. It was obvious that he was extremely worried.

Jellal didn't say anything; he just nodded, making efforts his face to express no emotions.

The master of ceremonial gave a sigh of relief and his face brightened up. He took the crown in his hands.

"Greet your sovereign king, ladies and gentlemen!" he said and prepared to place the crown on the king's head.

Just when he pronounced these words, Edolas Laxus opened slightly the door and cast a glance within the big hall. As it was to be expected, all people inside were watching the king. The moment was perfect for him to enter the hall without anyone sees him. Trying to walk as noiselessly as he could, the blonde man took a step forward. Just when he crossed the door-sill and was about to close the door soundlessly, a bright radiance erupted behind him.

At the same moment Jellal felt a great quantity of magical energy. "Goodness! What is it now? Something is wrong with Anima! It can't be anything else!" he thought.

The radiance faded in an instant; a loud yell "Laxus!" broke the silence and Edolas Laxus felt that three pairs of hands grabbed him from behind. That was so unexpected for him that he gave out a piercing scream and tried to release himself from these hands but without success; he fell on the floor and the members of the Earth Land Raijinsuu team (it was them, of course) fell over him.

Startled by the sudden uproar, the terrified guests grew aside. All ladies (except for Erza Knightwalker) shrieked as loud as they could. The master of ceremonial dropped the crown from his hands and it fell on the floor with a crash.

Jellal jumped on his feet. He cast a glance at the noise source and remained frozen in shock. What he saw was far too much for his tense nerves.

"Impossible! Anything but that!" he thought.

Unable to understand what was going on, all guests stared at the Earth Land mages in horror. How did these people dare interrupt the crowning ceremony? Didn't they have any idea of the court etiquette?

Erza Knightwalker couldn't believe her eyes. It was just not possible! Two hours ago she had left the members of the Raijinshuu team in the prison along with Faust, and now they were in the hall! How had they managed to escape the prison? Of course, it didn't even come to her mind that it was the Earth Land Raijinshuu team.

There was only one thing she could do. Being a captain of the Royal Army, it was her duty to protect the king… and more importantly, the man she loved. In fact, it was a perfect chance for her to prove her loyalty to him.

"Catch these people immediately! They are a threat to the king!" the red-haired woman yelled and at the next moment the Earth Land mages were already surrounded by the Royal Army. Erza herself grabbed Evergreen who was nearest to her and raised her on her feet.

The stone-eyed girl made an effort to release herself from Knightwalker's hand but without success.

"W-W-What on earth is going on? Help me! Fried! Bixlow!" the horrified Evergreen screamed reaching her hands to her team mates but her yell stuck in her throat when she saw the sword in Erza's hand. Knightwalker's expression was so fierce that even Fried and Bixlow were terrified to see it.

As for Jellal, he immediately guessed what was going on.

"Oh, no! It's the Earth Land Raijinshuu team!" the thought in horror. He was sure about it because he could feel the magical power within their bodies. "What are they doing here? Obviously they have been too close to the entrance between the worlds and Anima has absorbed them by an accident!"

Feeling a sudden weakness in his feet, the illusion mage fell down on his throne. He didn't lose his self-control so easy but at that moment his emotions took an upper hand. He put his hands on his head and his tears streamed down his face.

"It can't be! I'm dreaming! It's a nightmare! I just solved one problem and there is another! As if Laxus was not enough for me… and now his team mates are here!" he thought. "Why is this happening to me? What have I done to deserve this?"

The end

**Thank you for reading!**

**I would like to thank all people who sent me reviews! I'm so grateful to you! **

**I tried to make the ending funny… Do you like it this way? (I think it will be pointless to describe how Jellal will send the Raijinshuu team back to Earth Land. That is why I decided to put an end here.)**

**What do you think about this story? Please let me know your opinion!**


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